A guitar and an amplifier head belonging to the late OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Randy Rhoads have been returned to his family after they were stolen a year and a half ago.
In late November 2019, some of Randy‘s gear and memorabilia was swiped from the Musonia School Of Music in North Hollywood, California, the school where Randy Rhoads famously taught guitar and which was run by Randy‘s late mother Delores. Following Randy‘s death 39 years ago, the school drew fans from all over the world as a place where the Rhoads family happily opened their hearts to share the life of Randy.
After the theft, Ozzy offered up a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for stealing the gear and/or return of the stolen items. A short time later, a woman discovered a large number of the items in a dumpster in North Hollywood, but not the guitar and amplifier head which had remained missing — until now.
On Wednesday (May 19), Randy‘s sister, Kathy Rhoads D’Argenzio, took to her Instagram to share the news that Randy‘s first electric guitar, a 1963 Harmony Rocket, and a prototype of his rare signature Marshall Amplifiers amp head, were finally returned to the family.
She wrote: “YES!!!! It’s OFFICIAL!!! …. And You heard it CORRECT!!!!! It’s BACK. It’s been a CRAZY ‘Randy week’ for sure…..but this is Beyond Awesome as well!!!!!!! I am so thankful for this …. No words.
“I CANNOT answer ANY Questions, as this is an ‘ONGOING INVESTIGATION’. So Don’t ask!!!!
“Wow!! Absolutely AMAZING!!!!!
“But trust me…I will ‘follow up’ when I can!!
“Thanks everyone for all your concerns and love.
“The Rhoads Family
“Still missing items ……
“Thank you to the North Hollywood Police Department!!!! (missing since November 2019)”.
Several items belonging to Rhoads and his family were recovered in early December 2019. Local resident Bobbi Fredriksz said she spotted a guitar and photos in a dumpster as she was walking her dog on an early Sunday morning. She initially didn’t think anything of it until she got home and saw a report about the theft on ABC7.
“As I was laying in bed, not feeling well, when it came on I was like wait a minute, oh my God,” Fredriksz told ABC7. “I ran all the way back over here it was still here. Somebody else started to see it and called police.”
Musonia School Of Music was founded in 1948, as a place where children and adults in the local community could receive music education at an affordable price. Run today by Delores‘s son Kelle Rhoads, Musonia continues to teach local students of all ages piano, drums, and guitar.
Randy Rhoads learned how to play guitar at Musonia. After his passing, Musonia now serves a dual role as a music school and the Randy Rhoads museum.
Randy Rhoads and two others were killed on March 19, 1982 when the small plane they were flying in at Flying Baron Estates in Leesburg, Florida struck Ozzy‘s tour bus, then crashed into a mansion. Rhoads was 25 years old.
Rhoads, who played in Ozzy‘s band four decades ago, will receive the Musical Excellence Award at this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, which will be held at Cleveland, Ohio’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on October 30.
The Musical Excellence Award is given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.
Delores Rhoads died in November 2015 at the age of 95.
Randy paid homage to Delores with “Dee”, a beautiful classical guitar piece on OZZY OSBOURNE‘s 1980 album “Blizzard Of Ozz”.
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