Judas Priest have recorded a cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs, featuring the late Ozzy Osbourne in what would become one of his final musical contributions.

The heavy metal legends were approached by Sharon Osbourne - Ozzy's wife and longtime manager - shortly before his passing on July 22 at the age of 76. She reached out with a heartfelt request to have Ozzy feature on the track, a collaboration that now carries even deeper significance.

Speaking on the Full Metal Jackie podcast, frontman Rob Halford revealed: "What is cool and kind of waiting in the wings is Ozzy singing with me, doing War Pigs together. We've been able to do that--it's there. We're just going through the rigamarole of legal clearance."

Halford described the experience as a career-defining moment: "Ozzy's singing a line, then I'm singing a line, and back and forth. It's the first time in my entire life I've been able to duet with Ozzy, and I'm so eternally grateful and blessed that I got to do that."

Recalling Sharon's role in making the duet happen, Halford added: "She approached me with this idea. She said, 'I love your version of War Pigs. Is there a way we can get Ozzy?' I was like, 'You're asking me? This is gonna happen!'"

The Breaking the Law hitmaker said the track should be cleared for release "pretty soon," and promised fans something truly monumental: "When you hear it, it's just colossal.

You think you've heard Priest's War Pigs, but when you hear it with Ozzy singing on that track, it goes to a really special place."

Following the devastating news of Ozzy's death, Halford shared his grief in an emotional interview with Detroit radio station WRIF:

"Oh, man. I got a call the day it happened. I'd just put the phone down in my hotel room--I think I was in Leeds--and I curled up in a ball and bawled my eyes out for hours. I just couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it now. I'm still grieving, like so many people."