Ozzy Osbourne: ‘Old Guy’ Bill Ward Didn’t Deserve ‘Equal Split’ of Black Sabbath’s Reunion Money

Whenever original drummer Bill Ward is brought up during a Black Sabbath interview, an additional little chunk of information on Ward's departure from the band's reunion tends to surface. In this particular interview with Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, the vocalist revealed that he doesn't believe Bill Ward deserved an equal split of Black Sabbath's earnings.

Bill Ward announced his departure from Black Sabbath's latest reunion in May 2012, citing contractual issues as the reason for his exit. The drummer's weight issues have been addressed by Ozzy, but he and the other members of Sabbath, somewhat removed from the business end of the band, never went in-depth about Ward's contractual issues. That is, until this new interview with Classic Rock Magazine.

"Here's the bottom line: being a drummer is the most physical part of any band," begins Ozzy. "And when Bill turned up, he looked like an old guy. I don't think he had the stamina to play for an hour or so on stage. If I'd had a heart attack like Bill had, I'd go, 'F---, I'm going to lose some weight.' I train — I work my arse off. So you can't expect someone who's been sitting on their f---ing arse, eating s--t, to come along and go, 'Equal split.' It's insane. I honestly don't know what went down with that deal, but I suppose it's something along those lines. There wasn't any other reason. We didn't gang up on him. And it wasn't like, 'Bill's just the drummer.' I didn't go, 'Oh, if Bill's not here, I get more money.' I don't f---ing need any more money, man."

Ozzy continues, "I'd be a f---ing liar if I said I'm glad Bill never made the [new Sabbath] album. It's kind of a Sabbath album to a point, but it would have been great if Bill could have worked on it. But if we'd had Bill, I honestly don't think we'd have been this far up the road. It was time to s--t or get off the pot."

Black Sabbath are currently blazing through North America on tour. To check out the full list of tour dates, click here.