Former Uriah Heep/Ozzy Osbourne Drummer Lee Kerslake Passes Away

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Legendary drummer Lee Kerslake, best known for his time with Uriah Heep and Ozzy Osbourne, has passed away at the age of 73 after a battle with prostate cancer.

Former The God's and Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley broke the news, stating: "It's with the heaviest of hearts that I share with you that Lee Kerslake, my friend of 55 years and the best drummer I ever played with, lost his battle with cancer at 03:30 this morning. He died peacefully, praise The Lord, but he will be terribly missed. I know many of you were praying for him not to suffer and I thank you for that and, now that Lee is at peace, our thoughts and prayers should turn to his wife Sue who will need all the support she can get at this time."

Kerslake began his career playing with The Gods, releasing three albums with the group before joining the iconic hard rock/heavy metal group Uriah Heep, making his recording debut with the band on the "Demons And Wizards" album. He stuck with the band until 1979, leaving after a dispute and shortly afterwards, met former Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne by chance in an elavator. The two would form the band Blizzard Of Ozz along with bassist Bob Daisley and guitarist Randy Rhoads, though the band would named an Ozzy Osbourne solo project by management.

The drummer returned to Uriah Heep in 1982, bringing Daisley with him and stayed with the British titans until 2007, with his last album appearance being 2005's, "Between Two Worlds." Kerslake was also involved in a number of projects, including the Berggren Kerslake Band and Living Loud, as well as a retrospective documentary, "Lee Kerslake: Not On The Heep," which has yet to be completed.