If it wasn’t such a reputable source, I’d think this was a joke, but it’s true. Ozzy even confirmed that fact that he was close to being the new lead singer of Van Halen! Here’s what happened...
According to an interview with “Rolling Stone,” Alex Van Halen says that he and the band approached Ozzy back in 2001 about singing with them after their stint with Gary Cherone as their frontman. This were going smoothly, progressing right along, until “The Osbournes” on MTV launched and basically brought the deal to a standstill.
“Rolling Stone” said they even reached out to Ozzy and he confirmed the story. He told them, “Yes, we were discussing it. It is something that if it had come to fruition, would have been phenomenal.”
He continued, “Eddie and Alex were great friends of mine for a very long time and it’s a regret of mine that we never got it together. ‘The Osbournes’ got in the way of creating new music at that time, unfortunately.”
So, the story unfolds as you probably know and Van Halen went on to reunite with Sammy Hagar in 2003.
However, not before another crazy, but true possibility! Van Halen also rehearsed with Chris Cornell as their possible singer. Alex said they had a jam session with Chris and they were sold on him, but unfortunately he passed away in 2017.
Can you imagine, VH with Ozzy or Chris Cornell as their lead singer? WOW!