Ozzy Osbourne might be riding the Crazy Train right to the courthouse.
The Black Sabbath frontman has been hit with a $2 million lawsuit by Bob Daisley, the co-author of Osbourne’s breakthrough solo hit “Crazy Train,” claiming that he’s owed royalties for the 1980 tune and others he helped write.
In his suit, filed in Nevada on Monday, Daisley says that a 2014 audit reveals that he’s owed $2 million in royalties that have been improperly withheld from him, according to court papers obtained by TheWrap.
According to the lawsuit, in addition to radio airplay, “Crazy Train” has been licensed numerous times, including for the films “Megamind” and “Magic Mike,” as well as the TV shows “The Osbournes,” “The Office” and “The Simpsons.”
Daisley, who wrote the song with Osbourne and deceased guitarist Randy Rhoads, also played bass in Osbourne’s band and contributed to a number of Osbourne songs on albums such as “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman.”
Osbourne’s publicists Marcee Rondan and Mitch Schneider blasted the lawsuit in a statement to TheWrap on Tuesday, saying that Daisley has received regular royalty checks and that his actions, which include previous failed lawsuits, are “tantamount to harassment.”
“For the past 36 years Mr. Daisley has been receiving bi-annual royalty statements and checks from Blizzard Music, totaling in the millions of dollars, which have been routinely cashed. Mr. Daisley has audited Blizzard Music accounts over the years using several different auditing firms who found no discrepancies. He has previously filed lawsuits in the UK and the US and has lost on each occasion,” Rondan and Schneider said.
“We understand that Mr. Daisley is now in retirement and that these funds are his main source of income, so it is his right to be diligent with his money, but after 36 years, this is tantamount to harassment,” the statement continued. “We would have hoped that after 36 years that Mr. Daisley would have lost his unhealthy personal obsession and resentment towards Mr. Osbourne’s success. Blizzard Music and Mr. Osbourne plan to vigorously defend these proceedings.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.