Ozzy Osbourne has offered $25,000 as a reward for the return of stolen instruments previously owned by his late guitarist Randy Rhoads.
“As many of you have heard, the Musonia School of Music in N. Hollywood, CA (the school where Randy Rhoads famously taught guitar) was viciously robbed on Thanksgiving night,” Osbourne wrote on Instagram Saturday.
“Musonia was run by Randy’s late mother, Delores, and after his death 37 years ago, the school became something of a pilgrimage to his fans from all over the world. It is a place where the Rhoads Family happily opened their hearts to share the life of Randy. As you can imagine, the items that were stolen, including Randy’s first electric guitar, are irreplaceable to the Rhoads Family.”
Rhoads served as Osbourne’s lead guitarist on the singer’s classic LPs 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz and 1981’s Diary of a Madman before his March 19th, 1982 death in a tragic airplane accident.
The stolen instruments include Rhoads’ first electric guitar, a 1963 Harmony Rocket, as well as a rare Marshall prototype made specifically for Rhoads and a Great Depression era trumpet owned by Rhoads’ mother Delores.
“I am heartbroken that these treasured physical memories of Randy and Delores have been taken from the family so I’ve decided to personally offer a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction and/or return of all stolen items,” Osbourne added.
