In contemplation over these past few days since the tragic news of Michael Jackson’s death, I have reflected on other occasions when some of my heroes have died. I know how I felt at the time. I can’t help wondering how those who loved Michael Jackson are going to heal and overcome the loss. My heart feels passionate to all who are feeling loss for Michael Jackson today.

I can’t help regurgitating the emotions and absolute numbness I felt when John Lennon was shot. I felt completely devastated. It’s taken me years to come to terms with John’s death. I felt robbed. I think we all did. Sincerely, my life has never been the same since his passing. There’s an emptiness in the world and in my soul. My first trauma of those I idolized was when Buddy, Ritchie and the Big Bopper died. Again, I felt numb, heartbroken, and didn’t understand why.

For those in heartache today, I wish you all wellness in healing. A great entertainer has died. I think those who experienced and heard his heart are more enlightened people for it than before. I believe you’re all most fortunate to have connected to Michael Jackson.

— Bill Ward

There’s a recent audio interview with Bill Ward out and about. If you missed it when it was first published a few weeks back, you should give it a listen. It’s Episode 24 of “Shockwaves Skull Sessions”. The specific episode title is “Ozzy & Black Sabbath”. You can check it out here:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/music/view.aspx?songID=2495

Here’s a description of the episode from their site:

This episode features a 4-way discussion with legendary Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward, Roadrunner Records VP of A&R Monte Conner, and metal enthusiast David Tedds as they join Skull Sessions host Bob Nalbandian in this mesmerizing and historic exploration into the first decade of Black Sabbath, commonly referred to as the “Ozzy-era.” The four discuss the entire catalog, from Sabbath’s groundbreaking 1970 debut leading up to 1978’s Never Say Die release. This is perhaps the most compelling Skull Sessions discussion yet. A MUST LISTEN for any Sabbath fan!

The latest edition of Bill’s monthly Rock 50 radio show happened a few weeks ago. We hope you had a chance to listen in. If you did not (or if you did anyway), the track listing from the show is now available. You can check it out here.

In addition to that, we have an mp3 widget available where you can listen to sound samples from all the songs Bill played this month. That is available at the bottom of this news story (save for two that weren’t available in mp3 format).

FREE MP3 BONUS: One of the tracks Bill played in the June show was “More than Meets the Eye” from the band Testament. The Amazon.com MP3 store, which we link to for mp3 purchases is offering this mp3 for free. It is unknown how long they will be doing that, so if you’re interested in a free legal copy of this song, click this link to be taken to the song in Amazon.com’s MP3 store.

If you have any comments on the tracks Bill played this month, please let us know by commenting on this story. You can do that by clicking the “Leave a Reply” link at the bottom of this story.