The MTV VMAs did one thing right in terms of recognizing heavy music by presenting a medley honoring the late Ozzy Osbourne. During Sunday night’s (7th) MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, a few minutes were spared from the program’s focus on mainstream pop culture to remember heavy music, as Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Yungblud, and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt joined forces for a medley celebrating the Prince of Darkness’ music.
Ozzy’s son Jack, introduced the tribute with his four daughters through a pre-taped video, stating:
“I wish we could be there with you all tonight as you celebrate my dad’s amazing musical journey. I know for sure it would make him incredibly happy to see these great musicians carry on his legacy and help inspire the next generation of rockers.” He also gave a “special shout-out” to the artists who took part in the tribute. To conclude the video, Ozzy’s granddaughters signed off by shouting in unison, “In the words of our Papa, let’s go crazy!”
The medley included Yungblud performing Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” followed by Black Sabbath’s “Changes,” with Tyler leading “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” The tribute closed with a pyrotechnic finale, as Yungblud shouted one last salute: “Ozzy Forever!” It was a heartfelt moment that honored Ozzy’s legacy while also marking Tyler’s return to the microphone.
However, moments like this on the VMAs award show, which remain long out of touch with heavy music, can only last so long. For example, the winners: there was no metal category, and the closest was “Best Rock,” which went to Coldplay’s “All My Love.” Whether the win was influenced by the recent public affair at a Coldplay show via “kiss cam” or by the video itself, they took the award over Evanescence (“Afterlife (From the Netflix Series Devil May Cry)”), Green Day (“One Eyed Bastard”), Lenny Kravitz (“Honey”), Linkin Park (“The Emptiness Machine”), and Twenty One Pilots (“The Contract”).
And that was it for all things heavy at the 2025 MTV VMAs. You can see all the winners listed here. The ceremony took place on September 7th, 2025, hosted by LL Cool J at New York’s UBS Arena on the CBS Television Network, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+.
Note: You can see the lack of emphasis placed on heavy music, as there’s a typo in the video, For the record, it’s Nuno not Nunu,
