Heavy metal would not exist without Tony Iommi and the iconic red “Monkey” Gibson SG he used to create the sound of Black Sabbath. When Iommi retired the guitar from touring, he sold it to Hard Rock Cafe with an understanding that if he ever wanted it back, he would have the option to buy it back for the same price. Tragically, the Hard Rock representative who made that agreement later passed away, and when Iommi attempted to reclaim the instrument, the company said they had no record of the deal. Today, one of the most important guitars in rock history remains behind glass instead of with the musician who made it legendary.

“The guy who used to buy memorabilia for the Hard Rock came to England and visited me,” Iommi explained. “He wanted to buy some stuff and I said it should be fine. I’d retired the Monkey SG because it was too valuable to me; I didn’t want to take it on the road and risk it getting damaged. He offered to buy it and it seemed like a good idea because the guitar could be displayed for people to see and kept safe, instead of sitting in a case somewhere in my storage. But the deal was if I ever wanted it back, I could let him know and buy it back for the same price. It seemed fair enough, a good deal. However, the musician revealed that the individual in question has since passed away, and the deal he made is now seemingly lost. We tried to get in touch with Hard Rock to get it back and they knew nothing about the deal,” he added.

With the recent passing of Tony's band-mate Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath fans around the world believe now more than ever that the right thing to is for the Hard Rock to honour the spirit of the original agreement and return the “Monkey” SG to it's rightful owner, Tony Iommi.