Ozzy Osbourne

Significance: Ozzy Osbourne was the lead singer of the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. The band, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, is commonly credited with the founding of heavy metal. After his time with Black Sabbath, Osbourne became an award-winning solo artist in addition to forging a successful reality television career.

Background

John Michael Osbourne was born in Birmingham, England, son of Jack Osbourne, a toolmaker, and Lilian Osbourne, who manufactured car components. Osbourne had dyslexia as a child that caused him to have difficulty in school. The young musician dropped out at fifteen years old and began working. He was arrested and jailed for burglary soon afterward. He then began his career as a musician.

Life's Work

Osbourne’s musical career began with his first rock band, Rare Breed. The band separated after only two public performances. Osbourne and Rare Breed’s bassist, Geezer Butler, decided to continue working together. They combed the local area for skilled musicians and found guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. The young quartet quickly realized that they worked well together, and they named their band Earth Blues Company. They later shortened the name to Earth.

All members of the group were fans of early horror movies and magic-themed novels. When Osbourne wrote a set of lyrics that were darker than the band’s usual fare, the bandmates quickly composed a matching accompaniment. They named their new song "Black Sabbath." Soon after, the band received notice that another, already established band was using the name Earth. They would have to change the band's name to avoid legal action. After a short deliberation, the band members decided to take the name of their new song and called their group Black Sabbath.

The band pioneered a darker, riff-driven form of blues rock. They recorded their self-titled first album, Black Sabbath, in 1969. The band’s new sound was an instant success.

Black Sabbath was followed up with the 1970 album Paranoid. The band's sophomore release featured several well-known hits, including "Iron Man," "War Pigs," and the title track "Paranoid." Black Sabbath’s success grew from there, fueled by genre-defining albums such as Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973). However, the band’s heavy tour schedule strained the members' personal relationships. Over time, that led to constant arguing among the bandmates. This led to Osbourne leaving the band in 1978.

After Black Sabbath, Osbourne teamed up with guitarist Randy Rhoads to begin a highly successful solo career. He released Blizzard of Ozz, his first solo album, in 1980. Featuring the hit song "Crazy Train," the album went multiplatinum in the United States alone. Osbourne followed that release with Diary of a Madman (1981) and Bark at the Moon (1983).

Osbourne became well known for his wild antics, which added to his fame and popularity. At one concert in Des Moines, Iowa, someone from the audience threw a bat on stage. Osbourne picked up the bat and bit off its head. He later claimed he thought it was a toy and not a live animal. In another incident, while attending a meeting with record label executives when he was under the influence of narcotics, Osbourne bit the heads off two live doves.

Osbourne continued making albums and touring, and in the late 1990s, he and his wife began organizing a large tour of heavy metal bands called Ozzfest. The tour was extremely successful, attracting tens of thousands of fans from all over the United States and occasionally making stops in other countries, including Japan.

Osbourne and his family increased their fame by starring in a reality show called The Osbournes. The show, which aired on MTV from 2002 to 2005, followed the daily lives of Osbourne, his wife Sharon, and two of his children. It was one of the most popular shows in the history of MTV.

Although Osbourne originally planned to retire in the late 1990s, he postponed his retirement indefinitely. Osbourne continued to release albums, such as Scream (2010). The singer also continued to tour and perform regularly.

In 2013, Osbourne teamed with Black Sabbath for the band's final studio album, 13. It was the first studio album Osbourne had recorded with the group since his departure in the late 1970s. In 2016, Osbourne resumed his frontman position in Black Sabbath for the band's farewell tour, appropriately named The End, which trekked across North America, Europe, and Russia into 2017.

Although Osbourne was plagued with a series of health problems during the late 2010s and 2020s—including a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, which he made public in 2020, and a botched neck surgery—he continued to perform sporadically and produce new work. In 2020, he released the album Ordinary Man, followed by the release of his eleventh solo album, Patient Number 9, in 2022. The latter album, which featured musical legends like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, took home two Grammy Awards at the 2023 ceremony for best rock album and best metal performance. Continuing to experience health issues, he underwent a fourth round of spinal surgery in 2023 to repair injuries from a 2019 fall, which damaged metal rods inserted after his 2003 ATV accident. From that point, he largely experienced difficulty walking.

Following Osbourne's 2024 induction as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he returned to the stage in 2025 to perform in what would become his last concert, titled "Back to the Beginning." Taking place in Birmingham, the show featured Osbourne performing several of his hit solo songs while seated in a chair. His original Black Sabbath bandmates also joined him on stage for a select set of their songs.

Osbourne died only weeks later, on July 22, 2025, at the age of seventy-six.

Impact

Ozzy Osbourne is largely credited with the founding of the heavy metal genre through the band Black Sabbath. The band's low-tuned guitars, dramatic lyrics, and inventive uses of blues scales and minor keys inspired countless fans. Many later acts, including Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden, were inspired by the innovative music of Black Sabbath. In 2023, he was honored with the first Rolling Stone UK Icon Award.

Personal Life

Between 1971 and 1982, Osbourne was married to Thelma Riley, with whom he shared three children. He married his manager, Sharon Arden, on July 4, 1982. The couple had three children: Aimee, Kelly, and Jack. Osbourne consistently struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout his lifetime, leading to marriage strains and other issues with his family.

Bibliography

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"Black Sabbath: History." Black Sabbath, www.blacksabbath.com/history.html. Accessed 23 July 2025.

Edwards, Gavin. "Ozzy Osbourne, 'Prince of Darkness' Turned Reality TV Star, Dies at 76." The New York Times, 22 July 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/arts/music/ozzy-osbourne-dead.html. Accessed 23 July 2025.

Guarino, Mark. "Black Sabbath Farewell Tour Review—Snarling Rock and Few Words at the End." The Guardian, 23 Jan. 2016, www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jan/23/black-sabbath-farewell-tour-ozzy-osbourne-tony-iommi-geezer-butler-chicago. Accessed 23 July 2025.

Mansfield, Brian. "Ozzy Osbourne Bit the Head Off a Bat 33 Years Ago Tonight." USA Today, 20 Jan. 2015, www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2015/01/20/ozzy-osbourne-bit-the-head-off-a-bat-33-years-ago-tonight/77604434/. Accessed 23 July 2025.

McLean, Craig. "Tea with Ozzy Osbourne: 'I've Sung That Song for 55 Years. I'm Not Going to Forget the Words.'" The Guardian, 28 Aug. 2022, www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/28/ozzy-osbourne-i-have-sung-that-song-for-55-years-i-am-not-going-to-forget-the-words. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

"Ozzy Osbourne." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/ozzy-osbourne-mn0000424244. Accessed 23 July 2025.

Reilly, Nick. "Ozzy Osbourne: How the Prince of Darkness Defied the Odds and Found Happiness." Rolling Stone UK, Dec. 2023, www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/features/ozzy-osbourne-interview-rolling-stone-black-sabbath-34700/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Rivadavia, Eduardo. "20 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know about Ozzy Osbourne." Ultimate Classic Rock, ultimateclassicrock.com/ozzy-osbourne-facts/. Accessed 23 July 2025.

Shteamer, Hank. "Ozzy Osbourne Plays His 'Final Song' with Black Sabbath." The New York Times, 5 July 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/07/05/arts/music/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-final-show.html. Accessed 23 July 2025.

Sykes, Tom. "Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne Split Amid Allegations of Infidelity." Daily Beast, 9 May 2016, www.thedailybeast.com/ozzy-and-sharon-osbourne-split-amid-allegations-of-infidelity/. Accessed 23 July 2025.