Back in 2019, a number of guitars and other pieces of musical equipment belonging to late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads were stolen when the Musonia School of Music in North Hollywood — a school run by Randy’s family, where he once taught guitar — was robbed on Thanksgiving night. The Rhoads family was so distraught that Ozzy himself joined the cause, offering a $25,000 reward for any information about the stolen memorabilia. Now, at least one of Randy’s electric guitars has been returned — and it’s his first one from childhood, to boot.
As reported by Consequence of Sound, Rhoads’ 1963 Harmony Rocket and his boutique Marshall amp were returned to his estate, with his sister Kathy Rhoads D’Argenzio reporting the good news on her Instagram:
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Because of the ongoing investigation, Kathy couldn’t say exactly how the items came back to her, or from whom. All that really matters is that Randy’s instruments are back in the possession of his family. We hope whoever stole them on Thanksgiving is eaten alive by guilt, and maybe also rats.
For many metal fans, Randy Rhoads is the ultimate example of a rock star taken from us before his time. In a lot of ways, Randy’s passing was the first great loss of heavy metal as an established genre. He died in plane crash while on tour with Ozzy Osbourne in 1982, at the age of 26. Before then, metal had been more of a loose term, but Randy’s acrobatic guitar tone in Ozzy’s solo band helped establish the genre as a vital part of the music scene. His loss still sticks with Ozzy to this day, who told Rolling Stone in 2018, “To this day, as I’m talking to you, I’m back in this field looking at this fucking plane wreck and this house on fire.”
We hope Randy’s family see the swift return of their remaining items.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
