Ozzy Osbourne and Uriah Heep drummer Lee Kerslake has died after a long battle with cancer.
One of Lee’s bandmates from Uriah Heep broke the news Saturday, saying, “It’s with the heaviest of hearts that I share with you that Lee Kerslake, my friend of 55 years and the best drummer I ever played with, lost his battle with cancer at 03:30 this morning.”
Lee played with Ozzy’s band in 1980 and ’81. He played on Ozzy’s first 2 solo albums — “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman.” He also appeared in the 1987 Tribute Live album.
Kerslake’s struggle with illness was long and hard. He dropped out of Uriah Heep in 2018 … 4 years after getting a prostate cancer diagnosis back. His last performance was in London, when he appeared to join the group for “Lady In Black.”
After Kerslake revealed 2 years ago his prostate cancer was terminal and had spread to various organs, Ozzy sent him platinum records for “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman.” Kerslake had said he wanted them, and Ozzy fulfilled his wish.
Lee is survived by his wife, Sue. He was 73. RIP
