The Prince of Darkness is Forever
On Tuesday, July 22nd, the legendary Ozzy Osbourne passed away in peace, surrounded by family and mourned the world over.
Words seem to lack the heft to properly describe the man. Or to even celebrate his career musically, but this tried-and-true rock fan is going to try.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, to a blue-collar family in the Marston Green/Birmingham area, the boy was given the nickname “Ozzy” as a toddler. Growing up, Osbourne struggled with dyslexia, bullying and horrific abuse at school that led to severe emotional and mental distress.
In 1963, Osbourne heard the song “She Loves You” by The Beatles for the first time. It was a formative moment in an eclectic life that introduced Ozzy to his passion: music. The art form was his escape, much like his music ultimately became an escape for generations after him.
“I don’t want to change the world. I don’t want the world to change me.” – Ozzy Osbourne
While Osbourne toiled in labor jobs in 1967, he longed to make a name for himself in his preferred profession. That began in earnest when Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler started their working relationship that same year. The duo started working with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward shortly thereafter. The quartet immediately began laying the groundwork for arguably the most important heavy metal rock band of all time: Black Sabbath.
The band, a mix of moody lyrics and brooding blues rhythms, dove head-first into their mysterious and seemingly dangerous ways. Claiming visits from specters in the night and dabbles in the occult shaped the band’s sound and image. Over the course of eight years, this version of Sabbath haunted the musical world with a bruising rhythm section, dizzying guitar work and Ozzy’s almost mythical presence.
The rest, as they say, is history. Sabbath went on to achieve enormous global success the likes of which a band of their ilk had never experienced before. Nor since. Simply put, everyone knows Black Sabbath. Some of the greatest heavy metal in the genre’s history came from their collective minds. And for five decades, musicians operating within the heavy metal paradigm have cited Sabbath as one of the most important bands to ever play.
“I have a genuine love affair with my audience. When I’m on stage, they’re not privileged to see me. It’s a privilege for me to see them.” – Ozzy Osbourne
By 1979, Ozzy had left Black Sabbath in not the most pleasant separation. He was looking to get back on the scene in a solo capacity. Soon, the frontman formed a band that included guitar god Randy Rhoades and members of Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Rainbow. Originally slated to debut as The Blizzard of Ozz, the band ditched the name but decided their album would keep that title and thus, Ozzy Osbourne was flying high again.
The group introduced the rock scene to a new Ozzy. He was revitalized and hungry for a new challenge, and armed with the monumental album, 1980’s The Blizzard of Ozz.
The sophomore effort, Diary of a Madman, released in 1981, is a masterclass in rock in its own right. However, that album will always be marred by the sudden death of Rhoads while the band was on tour for the album.
Bark At the Moon roared on the scene in 1983. 1986’s The Ultimate Sin and 1988’s No Rest for the Wicked kept the hits coming. 1991’s No More Tears may be Ozzy’s most revered solo album amongst rock aficionados. While 1995’s Ozzmosis was firmly rooted in mid-90’s rock, the album still packs a satisfactory punch. The setlist includes perhaps my favorite guilty pleasure rock out of all time “Perry Mason”.
2007’s Black Rain was a massive thrill for rockers across the world as Ozzy showed he wasn’t done yet. 2010’s ‘Scream’ brought radio success and ushered in yet another decade of the Ozzman. 2020’s ‘Ordinary Man’ is a wonderful memoir of an illustrious career. In this writer’s opinion, it’s equal parts celebratory and poignant.
Osbourne has enjoyed astronomical success, both as a solo artist and member of Black Sabbath, selling over 100 million copies. He’s got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars. He’s a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2006 with Black Sabbath and 2024 as a solo performer). The myriad accolades, honors and awards stretch over fifty years.
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No stranger to the small screen, Ozzy took the world by storm in a whole new light thanks to MTV’s hit reality show The Osbournes in 2002. The series introduced us to a lighter side of the Prince of Darkness as he navigated fatherhood, household chores and looking after his pint-sized dogs. The patriarch of the Osbourne family also starred on a few loose spin-offs that came following the massive success of the original series, particularly a fun jump into the paranormal with The Osbournes Want to Believe.
Arguably Osbourne’s greatest commercial contribution to our culture is Ozzfest. The renowned music festival launched the careers of bands such as Slipknot, System of a Down, Disturbed, Fear Factory and Static-X. The first festival occurred in 1996, with the last closing of the curtain in 2018. The vehicle was specifically created to spotlight new acts and became a must-attend event for any hard rock or heavy metal fan. Rock icons also got in on the action, as Rob Halford, Motley Crue, Pantera, Rob Zombie, Danzig, Slayer, Judas Priest, Tool, Velvet Revolver, Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Metallica all graced the stages from time to time.
Of course, you can’t talk Ozzy without talking about religion, bats and doves. Religious groups and leaders regard Osbourne as nothing short of Satan himself, citing his hit song “Mr. Crowley” as proof that the entertainer was in cahoots with the Dark Prince himself.
Then there’s his alleged infamous biting of a dove’s head in 1981. In case you weren’t aware of the dove incident, let me regale you. In a nutshell, Osbourne and his team had thought it’d be a great idea to release doves following Ozzy’s signing of his first solo record deal. Ozzy proceeded to bite one of the dove’s heads off. Truly, off. Doubling down, as he was being escorted from the premise, Ozzy picked up another dove and bit its head off, too. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For the dove.
In 1982, Osbourne bit the head off of a bat during a show in Iowa. Osbourne claimed he believed the bat to be a rubber prop and even claimed he had to be vaccinated for rabies after the stunt. Always the businessman, Ozzy’s website offered plush bats, complete with detachable heads, to commemorate the anniversary of the shocking incident.
Then there’s the commercial horror. You don’t earn the moniker Prince of Darkness without being front and center in the horror wheelhouse. And front and center, Mr. Osbourne was.
In 1986, Osbourne starred in the cult favorite Trick or Treat where he played a reverend and shared billing with fellow rocker Gene Simmons.
Throughout the early 2000s, you’d be hard pressed not to run into a kid or teen dressed as the iconic front man, complete with dyed red tips and tinted glasses. Even as recently as 2021, he provided the voice of an entity in We Need to Do Something.
“I don’t wanna stop.”- Ozzy Osbourne
At the end of the day, at the end of an illustrious career and at the end of a wildly eclectic and celebrated career, Ozzy Osbourne was truly larger than life himself. His final show was on July 5, 2025, less than a month ago, culminating with one final Black Sabbath set just seventeen days before his death.
On that day the metal world rejoiced during a 10-hour marathon concert called “Back to the Beginning”. Heavyweights Mastodon, Anthrax, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Tom Morello, Nuno Bettencourt, Mike Bordin, Jake E. Lee, Alice in Chains, Billy Corgan, Sammy Hagar, Steven Tyler, Ronnie Wood, Pantera, Zakk Wylde, Tool, Slayer, Guns n Roses and Metallica were a part of the ‘opening act’ celebration that took a bow to Ozzy as he performed a solo set before wrapping with a full-blown reunion of his Black Sabbath brothers.
Morello, of Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine fame, was the musical director for the show and alongside Live Nation’s Andy Copping, the night went off without a noticeable hitch. Two children’s hospitals and The Cure Parkinson’s Trust benefitted, receiving nearly $190 million from the show.
Ozzy was a proud father, a doting grandfather and a true champion of the music world. He was an advocate for mental health. He endured a hellish life of substance abuse, recreated himself as a solo artist and introduced a whole new generation to his music through his new millennium renaissance of television and media.
Growing up, the presence of Ozzy was always around. The album cover to Diary of a Madman was the first artwork that genuinely moved me to discomfort as a kid. His greatest hits, of course, were staples of the local rock station’s playlist.
The weekend before my freshman year of high school started my mother offered to buy me a few things from the local K-Mart. I decided on some new music for my kickin’ personal CD player. I plucked Ozzy’s No More Tears out of the five-dollar bin and songs like “Desire” and “Mr. Tinkertrain” still have me tasting cafeteria French fries and smelling high school locker rooms whenever I hear them.
He was a gateway to Rob Zombie, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd for me as far as musical interests went. His family’s reality show became a favorite in our television schedule. Most importantly, I took his advocacy for mental health and being your own person to heart. He was never afraid to be himself. And he never hid from the shortcomings that may have come with that.
Upon his passing, it felt like I had lost an uncle. In a way, in our macabre and weird world, we all did. He was a voice for all of us. Ozzy made it OK to be different. He made it cool to be a little strange. He helped get me through a lot of tough days as a teen.
Ozzy Osbourne was more than a musician. He was more than an icon for the genre. He was the Prince of fucking Darkness and he will be truly missed.
