"The strange thing is that everyone knew it would happen at some point because Ozzy hadn't been well for a while," Cooper (77) told the German Press Agency in London. But just a few weeks after Osbourne's farewell concert, no one expected it."He looked really good on stage, he sang well, and now suddenly he's gone. It was a shock for everyone."

"Black Sabbath opened many doors"

The legendary British heavy metal singer and Black Sabbath frontman ("Paranoid," "Crazy Train") died on Tuesday at the age of 76. According to Cooper, Osbourne's legacy is gigantic."Black Sabbath were the first truly commercially successful heavy metal band," said Cooper."They opened a lot of doors. And Ozzy—he was just a great guy, a good singer."

Although he had met Ozzy Osbourne several times, he didn't know him personally very well, Cooper reported."We had mutual respect, I met him a few times, but he just wasn't in my immediate circle - which is actually strange. It's unusual that we didn't spend more time together." The two musicians, however, had a lot in common, said the former shock rocker, who is releasing his new album"The Revenge Of Alice Cooper" on Friday.

Photo gallery: Mourning for Ozzy Osbourne: The"Prince of Darkness" is dead

Shared passion for the Beatles

"Something we had in common, and something I often noticed in interviews, was that it always surprised people how much we were both influenced by the Beatles," said Cooper."If you listen to many of Ozzy's solo songs, you'll notice they're all very melodic. I think that's true of my music as well. No matter how heavy or metallic the sound was, the melody was always at the forefront. That was something that connected us both: our great admiration for the Beatles and the influence they had on us."