After the rock scene waved goodbye to Ozzy Osbourne last summer, the 2026 Grammy Awards gave the Black Sabbath frontman one final, star-studded send-off when an array of the world’s most iconic rock musicians collaborated on the ultimate Sabbath cover; one which moved the Osbourne family to tears as they watched on from the audience.
Ozzy’s tribute led the ‘In Memoriam’ segment of the award show, as Guns ‘N’ Roses stars Slash and Duff McKagan joined forces with frontman Post Malone, Andrew Watt and Chad Smith for an impeccable cover of Sabbath’s legendary 1970 album-opener, “War Pigs.”
Music Man readers can watch the all-star tribute take off in the video above…
As the band recreates Black Sabbath’s genre-creating heavy metal tones, Post Malone’s vocals put a vivid twist on this cover, refusing to rip off Ozzy’s iconic sound but treating the song with his own authentic style.
By the second verse, the Grammys begin to honor other fallen stars of the past year, with screen tributes paid to KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, Mick Ralphs, Rick Derringer, Chris Jasper, Roy Thomas Baker, Brian James, Irv Gotti, Blondie drummer Clem Burke, Anthony Jackson, and more.
Slash and Andrew Watt steal the limelight with a dueling guitar solo serving the pure chaos of war and grief, before Post Malone creeps up beside Andrew to tap notes on his fretboard in an iconic moment.
While the pyrotechnics blast mushroom clouds of fire on stage, the camera pans to reveal clips of Sharon, Kelly, and Jack Osbourne watching the scene play out through tears.
With top commenters on this viral performance admitting, “Probably the best music that’s been on the Grammys,” one Black Sabbath fan pinned down exactly what makes this ‘War Pigs’ performance so outstanding when they wrote, “You guys know what’s great about this song? [It] may be decades later, but the message still lives on. What a great time to play the song for the world to see. Ozzy was indeed a musical genius.”
Another fan noticed the impact Post Malone’s striking vocals had on Sharon, commenting, “Poor Sharon grasped her chair when he started. Very raw for them hearing it done so well by Post.”
One fan even took the opportunity to call out the Grammy Awards’ usual lack of musical diversity when they wrote, “Too bad that the only time these award shows play rock music is when a rock musician passes away.”