“Alice Cooper 2011” by Ross Halfin is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Heavy metal purveyor Alice Cooper paid tribute to his brother in sound, the late Ozzy Osbourne, on Friday, July 25, during his concert at The O2 Arena in London, with help from special guest Johnny Depp. The tribute occurred late in the frame, following a packed series of Alice Cooper Band originals, and took shape as a first-time cover. 

For the group’s collective nod to Prince of Darkness, the Alice Cooper Band, and their guest guitarist, Depp, delivered Black Sabbath’s 1970 Paranoid title track, widely considered one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time, and a number that positioned the original band at No. 4 on the UK Singles Charts and No. 61 in the US Billboard Hot 100. “Paranoid” earned Sabbath their first chart placements, making it an ideal entry for Cooper’s first-time cover considering its historic place in the Sabbath’s own history.  

Cooper, along with the original members of his band—Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith, and guest Depp—reprised one of their most recognizable numbers, the fitting ode to summer, “School’s Out.” The group’s delivery included a snippet of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” For their walk-off, the band and Cooper exited to “Crazy Train.” Also of note, Cooper donned an Ozzy-clad T-shirt and a visual ode to the late musician. 

Before Friday night’s London concert, Cooper took to social media to share his spoken words, which initially aired on the Alice’s Attic radio show: “Well, we all know that time is going to take us rockers, but when the giants fall, it’s really hard to accept. Even though everybody saw it coming with Ozzy, it just took our breath away when it happened. So Ozzy and family – your records and your music and your legend and all that you brought – the humor to the rock business – will live on forever and we’re gonna miss you, man.”

The Tuesday night concert, which occurred hours after Ozzy’s passing, was dedicated to the Prince of Darkness. After the concert, Copper summed up his pondering of the loss, writing in part, “He was and will continue to be a rock n roll legend. Rock n Roll is a family and a fraternity. When we lose one of our own it bleeds.”

Watch a fan-shot video of Cooper’s “Paranoid” debut, featuring Depp, below.