’80s Rock Icon’s Legendary Guitar Just Sold for an Eye-Popping Amount originally appeared on Parade.
Iconic Quiet Riot and Blizzard of Ozz guitarist Randy Rhoads’ legendary 1974 Gibson Les Paul guitar sold for an eyewatering amount at an auction on August 9, 2025, more than 40 years after his death.
The black guitar, which was famously featured on the back cover of Quiet Riot’s 1977 debut album, “features a maple top on a mahogany body, with a mahogany neck and Indian rosewood fretboard,” according to Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction house. It was also used to perform on stage, and “shows heavy wear from extensive stage use.”
The guitar was inspected and authenticated by Rhoads’ fiancée, Jodi Raskin, who provided a letter of authenticity for the memorabilia. No other guitars belonging to the legendary rocker have been auctioned off, so it’s no wonder the piece of music history fetched a high price. Bidding on the instrument began at $50,000 on July 23. 2025, and ended at a staggering $160,000 when the auction closed on August 9.
The musician cofounded Quiet Riot in 1973 alongside bassist Kelly Garni and vocalist Kevin DuBrow. He went on to join Ozzy Osbourne’s band, then called Blizzard of Ozz, in 1980. Together, the group released infamous hits “Mr. Crowley” and “Crazy Train.”
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Rhoads was on tour with Osbourne when he tragically died in a plane crash on March 19, 1982. He was just 25 years old at the time. Osbourne paid tribute to his collaborator just months before his own death on the 43rd anniversary of Rhoads’, writing, “Randy Rhoads was quite possibly the best composer & musician that I have ever met in my life.”
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“He came into my life like a bolt of lightning, and as such, he was gone again,” he continued. “I consider myself one of the luckiest men alive to have not only met him but also I had the great honor of being able to work with him. I will cherish the time I spent with him till the day I die. LONG LIVE RANDY RHOADS.”
Osbourne died four months later on July 22, 2025.
’80s Rock Icon’s Legendary Guitar Just Sold for an Eye-Popping Amount first appeared on Parade on Aug 9, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
