Bill Ward was the drummer for the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was with the band throughout its entire tenure from the late 1960s to its eventual demise during about the mid-1980s. Ward was stricken by depression after asking his best friend Ozzy Osbourne to leave the band. He had a severe drinking and drug abuse problem. After leaving the band, Ward tried to commit suicide three times but failed. In 1997 Sabbath had a reunion tour with all 4 original members. In early June 2004, he agreed to return to the band for another reunion tour featuring all the original members.