A collection of guitars and gear belonging to the late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads was stolen on Thanksgiving day 2019, and the Prince of Darkness offered up $25,000 in reward money to help find the loot. Ozzy's reward money must have made things too hot for the thieves, as NBC4 in Los Angeles reports that many of the items were found in a nearby dumpster.
The robbery was especially callous, as the items were housed in North Hollywood's Musonia School of Music, famously founded by Randy's mom, Dolores Rhoads, back in 1948. Randy used to give guitar lessons there before fame and Ozzy whisked him away.
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"As you can imagine, the items that were stolen, including Randy’s first electric guitar, are irreplaceable to the Rhoads Family," Osbourne said on social media. "I am heartbroken that these treasured physical memories of Randy and [his mother] Delores have been taken from the family so I’ve decided to personally offer a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction and/or return of all stolen items."
It was one Bobbi Fredriksz who was walking her dog over the weekend when she spied the items being rained on in the dumpster, and thoughtfully moved them from the downpour, telling the station, "I knew in my gut something was wrong,"
More than 40 years’ worth of photos and fan gifts were found in the bin. Nearby, at Sunnyslope Ave. and Burbank Blvd., police recovered a trumpet that was given to Dolores Rhodes by her great grandfather during the Great Depression.
"The trumpet is valuable because it’s my grandmother’s," said Nick D’Argenzio, Randy Rhoads’ nephew. "She passed away recently. This is her legacy...My uncle Randy is a very important part of rock history." Rhoads was killed in a plane crash in 1982.
While many of the pieces have been recorded, one very important item still remains at large: Randy Rhoads' first electric guitar, a Harmony Rocket from 1963.
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