Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi to Metallica’s James Hetfield: You did the “right thing” by entering rehab

Jon Hadusek

The post Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi to Metallica’s James Hetfield: You did the “right thing” by entering rehab appeared first on Consequence of Sound.

Last week, Metallica revealed the news that frontman James Hetfield had re-entered rehab for addiction treatment, forcing the band to postpone its upcoming tour dates. We recently reported on Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe and Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta crediting Hetfield with their own sobriety, and now Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has reached out to his fellow metal legend.

Iommi had his own battles with substance abuse, admitting a few years back that at one point in his career he was doing two or three grams of cocaine per night. In a tweet, he offered his best wishes to Hetfield, stating the following while posting a photo of the two together:

“My best out to James Hetfield. You’ve done the right thing seeking help – I’m thinking of you my friend and wishing you all the very best on your recovery. Looking forward to seeing you back at your best very soon.

Your pal Tony”

Original Metallica bassist and Hetfield’s childhood friend Ron McGovney offered one of the replies to Iommi’s tweet, writing: “If I could go back in time to our high school days and show James this response from Tony Iommi, he would have been in shock.”

Not only did Metallica induct Black Sabbath into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, the thrash masters performed a couple of Sabbath songs in honor of the metal godfathers at the ceremony.

Meanwhile, McGovney also tweeted his own message to Hetfield along with a pic of the two onstage in the early ’80s:

“James Hetfield has been a friend of mine long before @Metallica. I always looked up to him as a musician even when we were in high school. If he needs anything, he has my number. I have been sober for 2 years. It’s not easy. I’m with you big guy.”

Both posts have received hundreds of retweets and thousands of likes as support for Hetfield comes in from fans and colleagues.

Metallica postponed their tour of Australia and New Zealand as Hetfield seeks treatment for addiction, but the band was able to perform both nights of their S&M2 concerts in early September. An accompanying concert film chronicling the triumphant shows, as documented in our live review, is set to screen in theaters worldwide on October 9th.

Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi to Metallica’s James Hetfield: You did the “right thing” by entering rehab
Jon Hadusek

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