Ozzy Osbourne, heavy metal's wild prince of darkness

Perth Now

22-07-2025

A behemoth among the monsters of rock music, Ozzy Osbourne will be best remembered for his showmanship and unique sound.
The British frontman of Black Sabbath, he was at the forefront of the heavy metal scene - a deeper, darker offshoot of hard rock.
His theatrical stage presence - including once biting off the head of a bat - and styling himself as the Prince of Darkness marked him out as a controversial figure.
Band break-ups fuelled by disputes with fellow members and drug abuse and a well-documented battle with alcoholism cemented that reputation.
He was also among the vanguard of now-ubiquitous modern reality TV stars, appearing with his family in the hit MTV show The Osbournes.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work before teaming up with school friend Geezer Butler in several bands.
The pair then linked up with the other founder members of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, to form what was then called Earth Blues Company - later shortened to Earth - in 1968.
Initially a Mod who loved soul music, according to his biography on the band's official website, Osbourne crafted his darker image after writing lyrics for a song entitled Black Sabbath after the 1963 Boris Karloff film of the same name.
The name stuck - after they were forced to change it from Earth - and the band went on to sell millions of records over the next decade on the back of sound-defining tracks including Paranoid and War Pigs.
A product of their working-class roots and the post-Vietnam War era, the band tackled themes of war, social chaos and the supernatural.
But drug use began to take its toll on Osbourne and his relationship with his fellow band members and he was eventually fired in 1979.
He launched a solo career, enjoying success during the 1980s, before reforming with Sabbath several times - including in 2016 for a final world tour.
As a group, Black Sabbath is widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal.
As a solo artist, Osbourne released 11 albums, with his debut Blizzard Of Ozz issued in 1980, which featured two of his most revered songs, Crazy Train and Mr Crowley.
The Birmingham-born singer sold more than 100 million records worldwide with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist.
In 2014, he was presented with a global icon award at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Osbourne married his first wife Thelma Riley in 1971 but after having two children the couple split in 1982 after, he admitted, his rock 'n roll lifestyle meant he put her "through hell".
He married Sharon, the daughter of his former Black Sabbath manager Don Arden, in July of that year.
The pair met in the 1970s via her father and she took over managing Osbourne after he was booted from the heavy metal group.
They had three children together: Jack, Kelly and Aimee.
The couple became an unlikely hit after starring between 2002 and 2005 in The Osbournes, which also launched the careers of Jack and Kelly, but the pair temporarily split in 2016.
Former X Factor judge Sharon later revealed they had tried marriage counselling to get their relationship back on track - but gave up because it made him angry.
During an interview in 2017 with Rolling Stone, he joked that the secret to his marriage was "don't get caught with your mistress".
In the same year, he and Sharon renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas.
In his later years Osbourne attempted to press on with his rock career but was hampered by illness and injury.
In February 2019, Sharon revealed he had been admitted to hospital after suffering from flu.
The illness led to him cancelling a string of tour dates while he recovered, including postponing the UK and European legs of his No More Tours 2.
Planned performances in Australia, New Zealand and Japan were also axed.
Within months he was forced to postpone another string of tour dates - including a show at the famous Hollywood Bowl - after suffering a fall at his Los Angeles home in April.
In November 2019, he returned to the stage for a one-song performance at the American Music Awards alongside rappers Post Malone and Travis Scott.
Another blow came in January 2020 when the singer revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which was discovered after a fall.
He was revealed to have a rare form of the disease called Parkin 2, which he had since birth.
He made a surprise appearance onstage in his home city of Birmingham to close out the 2022 Commonwealth Games, backed by Black Sabbath as fireworks lit up the sky.
But early in 2023 he announced that following extensive spinal surgery he was not "physically capable" of doing his tour dates in Europe and the UK.
He said his singing voice was fine but that, following three operations, stem cell treatments, physical therapy sessions and more, his body was "still weak".
Osbourne did not return to touring in 2024, but was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame for a second time, one of the few to be given the honour.
He bid farewell to fans with a Black Sabbath reunion in his final live performance just weeks ago.
The legendary rocker told thousands of heavy metal enthusiasts at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5 that it was "so good to be on this stage" as he performed his last set from a large black throne.
Osbourne and his fellow original Black Sabbath members - Iommi, Butler and Ward - were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert.