Ozzy Osbourne's most shocking moments
Drug and alcohol use often fuelled manic behaviour in front of his adoring audiences, and also his most crazed moments in between shows.
These are some of the most memorable and infamous moments from the hell-raising life of the late heavy metal pioneer.
The Alamo
In 1982, Osbourne was wearing one of his wife's dresses for a photoshoot close to The Alamo in Texas, the site of a heroic sacrifice by the Texan troops against the invading Mexicans.
The rock star drunkenly relieved himself on a cenotaph commemorating the dead, later donating thousands to the group which maintains The Alamo.
In the midst of an alcohol and drug haze, Osbourne said that he set about slaughtering 17 cats with a shotgun.
The rocker said he was found by his wife under a piano, armed with a knife in one hand and a shotgun in the other.
Ants
Osbourne toured with Motley Crue in the 1980s, and it was during this time that he is rumoured to have shocked his fellow rockers after 'spotting' a line of ants.
Bassist Nikki Sixx claimed that Osbourne took a straw and, as if snorting cocaine, hoovered the line of ants up his nose.
Bats
In 1982, Osbourne was on stage at a gig in Des Moines, Iowa, during a US tour.
A fan threw a bat on stage, and in the frenzy of performance Osbourne – believing it to be rubber – bit its head off. There remains debate as to whether the bat was alive or dead when it was thrown on stage.
Doves
Osbourne had history with the decapitation of winged creatures, beginning with an incident which stunned CBS Records executives.
Celebrating a new album in 1981, the Black Country-born rock star was intending to release two doves in a symbolic act at the record label. Instead, he grabbed a dove and bit its head off, before being thrown out of the building.
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Metro
25 minutes ago
- Metro
'Unfiltered and charmingly chaotic': How The Osbournes redefined reality TV
Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness, the father of heavy metal music and… reality TV trailblazer? The Black Sabbath music legend died on July 22, aged 76, prompting fans to take a trip down memory lane to an era of the singer's career that accidentally changed the shape of TV forever. The year was 2002 – Ozzy was 30 years into a wildly successful music career, 20 years into his marriage with Sharon, and ready to offer his eager fanbase a peek through the velvet curtain. Thus, MTV's reality show The Osbournes was born, featuring the rock 'n' roll icon, his wife-turned-OG momager Sharon (who launched her own TV career from its success) and their two children, Kelly and Jack. What ensued was an unfiltered glimpse into the messy lives of this British music power couple, from high-profile feuds and a cancer diagnosis to the even higher stakes times, like Ozzy accusing 'someone' of stealing his beers (gasp, shock, horror). So, what exactly was it about The Osbournes that captured the heart of the globe – and how did it define the genre forever? Long before anyone was keeping up with the Kardashians, the people yearned to watch Ozzy go about his life in the most baffling and bizarre way possible. From 2002 to 2005, The Osbournes was a staple in households everywhere, with some moments staying with fans over 20 years later. For the uninitiated, getting a taste of just how mad this show is offers our first explanation for its enduring legacy. Like the time Ozzy bowed at the altar of the Chipotle burrito in the same way one might while being blessed by the Pope at the Vatican. One of the great moments on The Osbournes was Ozzy watching his burrito get made at Chipotle in sheer was like he was witnessing Michelangelo sculpt David right in front of him. — Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) July 22, 2025 What makes this scene even more treasured is the consistent thread of Ozzy just really loving a burrito. You can never say he wasn't a man of the people. As eloquently put by Sharon during one episode while Ozzy chows down on the delicious Mexican cuisine: 'Your father can't eat one burrito, he has to have 900 burritos' – cue rabid burrito montage. if you really wanna honor Ozzy Osbourne in a way he would love beyond his music… please, enjoy a burrito in his memory. those who remember, know this for sure. the man loved a good burrito. 😭🌯📸: from MTV's "The Osbournes" — Sassington, M.C. (@MissSassbox) July 22, 2025 Or when Ozzy completely crashed out when he wasn't able to change the weather channel on the TV. 'I'm very simple man, you've got to have like computer knowledge to turn the f***ing TV on and off. I press one button and the shower starts, I'm like 'What is this? Where am I man?' The nightmare continues. The nightmare in Beverly Hills.' Who among us hasn't totally unravelled after one too many technological failures? UK viewers are in luck as all four seasons of The Osbournes (each consisting of 10 episodes) are available to stream for free on Plex TV. You can watch here. Those seeking an alternate option can find all four seasons on Amazon Prime Video. The show is chock-full of moments like this. Seriously. Who can forget Sharon showing Ozzy the new bubble effect for his concert? 'Bubbles! Oh, come on, Sharon!' he shouted. 'I'm f***ing Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of f***ing Darkness. Evil! Evil! What's f***ing evil about a butt-load of f***ing bubbles!?' he eloquently declared. We even found out some insider music tea, like the physical scuffle between Kelly and Jack after she found out that her brother had danced with her arch nemesis, Christina Aguilera. Other highlights? Ozzy turning against his dog after they peed on the carpet, calling it a 'f***king part of Bin Laden's gang'. Or when he shouted at the ocean after the tide extinguished his carefully-crafted campfire. Balancing the humour, the show also offered some more poignant moments, such as in season two when Sharon allowed cameras to follow her cancer treatment. It might have brought light-hearted laughs with plenty of outlandish moments, but The Osbournes is widely regarded as one of the best reality TV shows ever made, and a pioneering one at that. The Osbournes was cemented as MTV's highest-rated TV show while it aired, raking in between six to eight million viewers per episode and landing the Emmy for outstanding reality TV programme. 'It was a ginormous global hit. I remember sitting with Sharon having a meal, and we were both in disbelief that they were on the cover of every magazine,' MTV's Van Toffler told Variety in a recent interview. He described it as 'unlike anything else that was on TV' at the time, and he wasn't wrong. After the sheer success of the first season, the Osbournes managed to secure an eye-watering $20million (£14.7m) for the next two seasons, although, per the New York Post from 2002, Sharon teased 'the real figures are more'. As for the approach to filming, in 2002, co-executive producer Jeff Stilson told RN Breakfast: 'We are often compared to Survivor and Big Brother, but we are not like those shows. 'That's the family, but for every 500 minutes of footage that we shoot, we use one minute. We are a comedy… We are structuring our show so it feels more like a sitcom.' What made the show so special, as Van Toffler explained, was that, contrary to the menacing persona Black Sabbath's Ozzy had exuded to the world, The Osbournes' Ozzy seemed like a slightly feral teddy bear. 'He was lovable, and he was so devoted and loving of Sharon and the children and something people wouldn't expect. Devoted dad and husband,' Van Toffler added. In an exclusive column for Metro, Ozzy's 2002 biographer Sue Crawford discusses the rocker's legacy. The Osbournes was the series that would change the face of fly-on-the-wall television forever. Before the Kardashians came The Osbournes, the docu-soap that made stars of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, his wife Sharon and their children Kelly and Jack. The show was a revelation – showing the Prince of Darkness as he'd never been seen before. For while almost every other utterance was a swearword, in every other respect the wildest man in rock appeared every inch the archetypal sit-com dad – 53 years of age, genial, flustered and completely baffled by his family and the modern world. The show literally transformed Ozzy's life. He was already a legend in the world of rock, selling more than 100 million albums as the lead singer of Black Sabbath and as a hugely successful solo artist. But the Osbournes introduced him to a whole new audience, who had not been witness to his excesses in the 1970s and '80s. And his newfound fame even saw him invited to perform for the Queen at her Golden Jubilee Pop Concert at Buckingham Palace. You can read the full piece here. Meanwhile, another producer, Sue Kolinsky, told the Post: 'He was so funny, and he had no idea how funny he was. 'He and the family were the ones who really put reality TV on the map. I believe the reason why the show was so successful was because they really were a loving family,' she noted. This format would soon prove the foundation of Paris Hilton's Simple Life in 2003 and, eventually, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which launched in 2007 – becoming a reality TV blueprint to this day. Unfortunately, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. In an interview with Metal Hammer in 2022, Ozzy revealed he felt like he was a 'laboratory rat' during the three years he was on the show. 'I thought it was gonna be a piece of cake. But you have a camera crew living in your house for three years and see how you feel at the end of it. You feel like a f***ing laboratory rat. 'It got to the point where I was falling apart emotionally. You can't f***ing relax. It doesn't matter where you go for a piss; you're paranoid there's a camera in there. But I'm not ashamed of it. It was a big hit,' he said. At the time, he shared a no when asked if he would do it again, saying: 'It's now Kardashianville. The world's changed, man.' More Trending Meanwhile, in a chat with the Daily Record in 2009, Sharon admitted: 'As Ozzy will tell you, the three years that we were filming, Ozzy was stoned the whole time. He wasn't sober for one day.' Despite all this, up until last year, there was consistent chatter that the Osbournes would be returning to reality TV, this time for a 10-part docu-series on the BBC. The broadcaster announced Home to Roost in 2022, which would track the famous family's 'attempt to restart their lives in rural Buckinghamshire' after decades in Los Angeles. View More » Following Ozzy's death, the fate of this show, which was already facing stumbling blocks, remains unclear. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Inside Ozzy Osbourne's tumultuous family life including his two absent children MORE: Black Sabbath and rock world remember 'fearless' Ozzy Osbourne after his death aged 76 MORE: How much are stars paid on Celebrity Traitors? Salaries 'confirmed' for BBC series
The Independent
25 minutes ago
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Alison Hammond reveals how missing one text meant she didn't see Ozzy Osbourne for final time
Alison Hammond has revealed how missing one text meant that she didn't get to see Ozzy Osbourne 's final Black Sabbath gig in Birmingham. Speaking on This Morning on Wednesday (23 July) following the death of the frontman aged 76, the presenter recalled how she didn't see a text Jack Osbourne sent her extending an invitation from Sharon Osbourne to see the farewell show at Villa Park. 'I feel so, so bad because I could have gone to see him, and I'm so saddened. But I did watch the concert, and I thought it was unbelievable,' Hammond added.
Daily Record
25 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Ozzy Osbourne's funeral plans following death as he 'made feelings clear'
Ozzy Osbourne's funeral plans haven't yet been shared, but the Black Sabbath frontman made it clear how he wanted his send-off to go in interviews before his death. Details surrounding Ozzy Osbourne 's death have not as of yet fully been disclosed. His family made the heartbreaking announcement on Tuesday, July 22, that the heavy metal legend had passed away at the age of 76. However prior to his death, the Black Sabbath frontman expressed his funeral wishes and laid bare his expectations in the event of his passing. He cautioned his family and friends that he "definitely don't want a f**king happy song" played during any commemoration. The 76-year-old's death was announced on Tuesday night, just weeks after his reunion gig with his former bandmates in their hometown of Birmingham. Although funeral details are yet to be announced, Ozzy has opened up on numerous occasions about his wishes. Ozzy, father to six kids, said back in 2011 that he wanted the service to be a celebration of his life rather than it being a mournful event, according to reports in the Mirror. "There'll be no harping on the bad times," Ozzy stated in a chat with The Times. "It's worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives, so by any measure, most of us in this country - especially rock stars like me - are very lucky. That's why I don't want my funeral to be sad, I want it to be a time to say 'thanks'." Known for his sense of humour, the singer also mentioned that he didn't want his funeral to be a "mope-fest" and confessed he wasn't bothered about what music was played during his final farewell. "I honestly don't care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are the Diddymen if it makes 'em happy," Ozzy quipped. In another interview in 2016, Ozzy disclosed that he did have some preferences, noting he would like A Day In The Life by the Fab Four playing at his funeral. "I really need a few more years to think this over, but probably something from 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Revolver," Ozzy told NME. "I definitely don't want my f**king greatest hits album - I never ever play that thing, I'm f**king embarrassed about it. And I definitely don't want a f**king happy song - I'm dead." Ozzy's death was confirmed by his family in a heartbreaking statement, as they informed the world: "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time". Earlier this month, Ozzy said goodbye to supporters with a Black Sabbath reunion, telling thousands of heavy metal fans at Birmingham's Villa Park that it was "so good to be on this stage" as he delivered his final performance from a large black throne. Ozzy's passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes from around the globe. Sir Elton John hailed Ozzy Osbourne as a "huge trailblazer" who "secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods". He was joined by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and other celebs in honouring the Black Sabbath frontman following his death on Tuesday. Sir Elton shared on Instagram: "So sad to hear the news of Ozzy Osbourne passing away. "He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend. He was also one of the funniest people I've ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love. Elton xx." Yungblud, who performed Black Sabbath's Changes at the Back To The Beginning farewell concert, expressed being "heartbroken" over the loss, dubbing Ozzy "the greatest of all time". "I didn't think you would leave so soon the last time we met you were so full of life and your laugh filled up the room," he penned in a tribute on social media.
