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BBC News
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
How Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath found their sound - and invented heavy metal
If you saw Black Sabbath's first ever gig, you wouldn't have recognised in 1968, they had the decidedly less sinister name of The Polka Tulk Blues Band, and came complete with a saxophonist and bottleneck guitar player.A year later, they'd slimmed down, found a new name and invented heavy metal. Few bands are so inextricably linked with a musical genre, but Sabbath set the template for everyone from Motörhead and AC/DC to Metallica and Guns 'n' the way, singer Ozzy Osbourne, who has died at the age of 76, became one of rock's most influential figures, with an electrifying and unpredictable stage presence and an almost mythological intake of drugs."If anyone has lived the debauched rock 'n' roll lifestyle," he once admitted, "I suppose it's me."So how did these four working class musicians from Aston, Birmingham rewrite the rules of rock? According to Osbourne, it was a visceral reaction to the "hippy-dippy" songs like San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) that saturated the airwaves after 1967's Summer Of Love."Flowers in your hair? Do me a favour," he seethed in his 2010 autobiography. "The only flowers anyone saw in Aston were the ones you threw in the hole after you when you croaked it at the age of 53 'cos you'd worked yourself to death."Teaming up with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward, Osbourne's initial idea was to put a Brummie spin on the bluesy sound of Fleetwood band's first name, Polka Tulk, was inspired by a brand of talcum powder his mum ditching the saxophone, they rebranded as Earth, taking as many gigs as they could manage, and even blagging a few extras."Whenever a big name band was coming to town, we'd load up the van with all our stuff and then just wait outside the venue on the off-chance they might not show up," Osbourne later worked... but only once, when the band were asked to stand in for an absent Jethro Tull. "And after that, all the bookers knew our name," Ozzy said. That opportunistic streak also steered them towards their signature just so happened that the band's rehearsal space was directly opposite a cinema that showed all-night horror audiences flock to these shows, the band conjured a plan."Tony said, "Don't you think it's strange how people pay money to get frightened? Why don't we start writing horror music?" Osbourne told music journalist Pete Paphides in 2005. "And that's what happened."The musicians metamorphosed into their final form: Adopting the name Black Sabbath, after a low-budget Boris Karloff film of the same name, they started writing lyrics that dabbled in death, black magic and mental suit the material, the music needed to get heavier, too. Ward slowed down the tempo. Iommi turned up the volume. Osbourne developed an aggressive vocal wail that always seemed to be teetering on the precipice of it was Iommi's guitar playing that really set Sabbath apart. His riffs leapt from the amplifier and hit the audience square in the chest with taurine was a sound he developed by necessity. When he was 17, Iommi was working in a sheet metal factory when he lost the tips of his two middle fingers in an industrial accident. Although surgeons tried to reattach them, they had gone black by the time he reached hospital. It looked like the end of his guitar career. Obituary: Wild life of rock's 'prince of darkness'Did Osbourne really bite the head off a live bat?'There will never be another Ozzy': Rock royalty pays tribute "The doctors said: 'The best thing for you to do is to pack up, really. Get another job, do something else'," Iommi wrote in his autobiography, Iron to prove them wrong, he melted down a fairy liquid bottle to make protective thimbles for his fingers, and slackened his guitar strings so he wouldn't have to apply too much pressure on the fretboard to create a months of painful practice, he learned a new style of playing – using his two good fingers to lay down chords, and adding vibrato to thicken the sound. That stripped-back, detuned growl became the basis of heavy metal."I had never heard that style of playing," said Tom Allan, who engineered Sabbath's self-titled debut album in 1969."I couldn't really fathom it. I didn't really get it. You never heard anything like that on the radio." The record was grim and sludgy – partly because the band had recorded it in just two days, with limited weren't sure what to make of it. Writing in Rolling Stone, Lester Bangs said the album had been "hyped as a rockin' ritual celebration of the Satanic mass or some such claptrap... They're not that bad, but that's about all the credit you can give them."The supposedly satanic imagery sparked a moral panic in the mainstream press, which intensified when it was discovered that the album's title track contained a chord progression known as the Devil's Interval, which had been banned by the church in the Middle the press didn't realise was that Black Sabbath, the song, had been written as a warning of the dangers of satanism, after Ward had fallen asleep reading books on the occult and woken up to see a ghostly, hooded figure standing at the end of his bed."It frightened the pissing life out of me," he later the truth, the controversy sold records and attracted legions of the band returned to their hotel to find 20 black-clad satanists holding candles and chanting outside their room. To get rid of them, Osbourne blew out the flames and sang Happy Birthday. Still, Sabbath leaned into their reputation, writing darker material and gaining a reputation as hellraisers as the 70s wore the music was never as basic or one-note as their image second album, Paranoid, marked a seismic leap in songcraft, from the visceral anti-war anthem War Pigs, to the creeping intensity of the title track, via the sci-fi horror of Iron Man, and the ghostly balladry of Planet kept up the pace on 1971's Master of Reality, with Osbourne describing Children Of The Grave as "the most kick-ass song we'd ever recorded".Vol 4, released in 1972, is sometimes overlooked because of its lack of a big radio single, but it also contains some of the band's best and most varied documents their descent into drug abuse with a depth-charge guitar riff; while St Vitus' Dance is a surprisingly tender piece of advice to a heartbroken friend, and Laguna Sunrise is a bucolic instrumental. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, meanwhile, was written as a furious critique of a music industry that had written them off."The people who have crippled you / You want to see them burn."After 55 years, and hundreds of imitators, the revelatory shock of Sabbath's sound has dimmed. How else do you explain Osbourne and Iommi performing Paranoid at Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee in 2002?But the power of those songs, from Iommi's brainsplitting riffs to Osbourne's insistent vocal wail, is he inducted Black Sabbath to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lars Ulrich of Metallica said, "if there was no Black Sabbath, hard rock and heavy metal would be shaped very differently"."When it comes to defining a genre within the world of heavy music," he said, "Sabbath stand alone."Writing after the band's penultimate farewell show in 2017, Osbourne said he was humbled by the acclaim."I never dreamed we would be here 49 years later," he said."But when I think about all of it, the best thing about being in Black Sabbath after all these years is that the music has held up." Five essential Ozzy Osbourne songs 1) ParanoidWritten as a last-minute "filler" for Black Sabbath's second album, the group accidentally created their biggest hit: The story of a man battling his inner voices, set to one of rock's most powerful riffs."Every now and then you get a song from nowhere," said Osbourne. "It's a gift." 2) Crazy TrainThe song that launched Osbourne's solo career, it's almost atypically upbeat - shrugging off Cold War paranoia and declaring: "Maybe it's not too late to learn how to love." It's only the maniacal laughter in the fading bars that suggests this outlook is the purview of a madman. 3) Sabbath Bloody SabbathSabbath's reputation for darkness means their melodic capabilities were often overlooked. But Osbourne was a passionate admirer of the Beatles, and you can hear their influence on the pastoral chorus of this song, before Tony Iommi powers in with a growling guitar line. John Lennon would undoubtedly have approved of Osbourne's seething critique of the music industry, summed up in the line: "Bog blast all of you." 4) ChangesSabbath revealed their soft underbelly on this 1972 piano ballad, written about a break-up that drummer Bill Ward was experiencing. "I thought the song was brilliant from the moment we first recorded it," said Osbourne, who later reworked it as a duet with his daughter, Kelly, and scored a UK number one the week before Christmas 2003. 5) Mr CrowleyInspired by notorious occultist Aleister Crowley, this track from 1980's Blizzard of Ozz allowed Osbourne to play up to his mock-satanic image. But is also helped him escape from the shadow of Black Sabbath, with a swirling, heavy-psychedelic sound, capped off by a blistering solo from his new foil, guitar virtuoso Randy listening: War Pigs and Iron Man are all-time classics; while Diary of a Madman and Suicide Solution are crucial chapters in Osbourne's solo songbook. Also check out Patient Number 9, the title track of his final album, which ended his career on a high.
Times
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Ozzy Osbourne — his 10 best tracks
John 'Ozzy' Osbourne has left the stage for good only weeks after his immensely moving final performance at Back to the Beginning at Villa Park football ground in Birmingham, where he sang from a black leather throne like a heavy metal King Lear. The hard rock wildman's highly successful 60-year career was sustained partly by the canny business acumen of his wife and manager, Sharon. But his hugely influential legacy as a singer and frontman is rooted in something much rarer: his unique blend of great personal charm, unpretentious Brummie humour and powerhouse vocal skill. Here we celebrate ten classic Ozzy performances, spanning his groundbreaking Black Sabbath heyday and his stadium-rocking solo career. If Black Sabbath had to be boiled down to a single signature anthem beloved by fans and non-fans alike, it would be Paranoid, a stampeding beast of a tune swept along by the guitarist Tony Iommi's speed-riff and Ozzy's full-blooded howls about mental breakdown, depression and alienation. The track was conceived as a last-minute filler for Sabbath's second album, but proved so powerful that they renamed the record in its honour. The album scored them their first UK No 1 and accidentally invented punk rock half a decade before the Sex Pistols. • Ozzy Osbourne obituary: musician and reality TV star A key factor in Ozzy's evergreen success was his ability to switch between his scary, intense, quasi-satanic rocker image and his comically overblown Crown Prince of Darkness persona. This early solo single, co-written with the guitarist Randy Rhoads and the bassist Bob Daisley, managed to fuse both sides of Ozzy into a glorious blast of gothic panto-rock. Inspired by a set of tarot cards, the lyrics pay ambiguous homage to the notorious British satanist Aleister Crowley, whose occult writing and sinister reputation also left their mark on Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and others. Black Sabbath may have helped to invent heavy metal's horror-movie vocabulary of witches and demons, but their socially and politically engaged lyrics are often overlooked. Opening with Ozzy in soaringly operatic mode, War Pigs is a gnarly, jazz-infused, Wagnerian doom-metal classic that became one of the band's most indelible anthems. Painting a hellish view of a war-ravaged world, the lyrics draw on the bassist Geezer Butler's conversations with Vietnam veterans and reflect his view of cynical politicians as 'the people trying to get the working classes to fight their wars for them'. It was originally titled Walpurgis but the band's record label deemed this too satanic. Co-written with Lemmy from Motörhead, this unusually tender power ballad began as a fond tribute to Sharon and became a longstanding live staple, though Ozzy struggled to deliver it when Sharon was battling cancer in the early 2000s. His last, croaky-voiced performance of this song in Birmingham only weeks ago left a poignant aftertaste. Famously inspired by a demonic visitation witnessed by the occult-obsessed Butler at the end of his bed, the song that gave the embryonic Black Sabbath their name is a seminal slab of blues-infused doom rock. It invented much of the lyrical and sonic vocabulary that would spawn countless heavy metal subgenres over the next 50-plus years. Intoning his self-penned lyric over ominous, slow-churning guitar chords, Ozzy sounds like a man frozen on the spot by blood-chilling terror. • Ozzy Osbourne, working-class wildman who changed the sound of rock Another atypical Sabbath ballad, Changes grew out of a cocaine-fuelled late-night jam session in a Bel Air mansion. After Ozzy hummed a fragmentary vocal melody over Iommi's piano motif, Butler penned heartbroken lyrics about the drummer Bill Ward's marriage break-up, even though Ward himself had no songwriting input. This evergreen track was later reworked by Ozzy and his daughter Kelly into a duet, and was recently covered by Yungblud, whose impassioned rendition was a highlight of Sabbath's grand finale in Birmingham. An all-time Sabbath classic, Iron Man fuses Iommi's super-heavy, Godzilla-sized stomp-riff with Butler's dystopian sci-fi lyric about time-travelling cyborgs and apocalyptic portents. It could easily have boiled over into campy melodrama but Ozzy brings maximum emotional honesty, investing the narrator's ordeal with genuine anguish and melancholy. Even today it still possesses a spine-chilling potency that transcends kitsch. While many of his 1970s peers saw their stock fall during the grunge-dominated early 1990s, Ozzy continued his commercially successful evolution into a more reflective, melodic, emotionally vulnerable pop-rock showman. Combining hard-edged riffs with softer elements of progressive rock and glam metal, No More Tears was written in the aftermath of a long spell in rehab and stormy clashes with Sharon. The parent album of the same name is regarded as one of his strongest solo works. • Read more music reviews, interviews and guides on what to listen to next Black Sabbath's final studio album, 13, is often underrated by vintage metal purists, but it stands up as a surprisingly punchy autumnal comeback, packed with magisterial baroque'n'roll epics that capture something of the band's early demonic power. It also gave them their first transatlantic chart-topper, selling more than a million copies. Picking up on a familiar Sabbath obsession with religious ritual and its diabolical underside, God Is Dead? is a brooding, liturgical, Metallica-ish single that won the hard rock godfathers their first Grammy in 14 years. Ozzy's first solo hit cemented his post-Sabbath career, staking his claim on a new decade dominated by more melodic, MTV-friendly, big-haired pop metal. Crooned over a nimble, catchy Rhoads riff, the lyrics showcase the singer's softer side, calling for peace and unity in a world divided by violence, political strife and Cold War suspicion. The song became Ozzy's most enduring signature hit, and was even reworked into a jaunty swing-jazz arrangement for his hit reality TV show The Osbournes.
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ozzy Osbourne's life-long health battles laid bare: From teen suicide attempts and addiction to Parkinson's battle, how Black Sabbath star never let illness hold him back
Ozzy Osbourne suffered a two decade long health battle before his death at the age of 76 yesterday—but his problems began more than six decades ago. The Princess of Darkness' ill health was clear to his fans earlier this month when he performed his last ever show with his band, heavy metal legends Black Sabbath. The sell out show at Villa Park on 5 July saw the musician wheeled onto the stage in an imposing looking gothic throne, as he was unable to stand due to the effects of Parkinson's disease. Ozzy had undergone a strict training programme in order to be able to headline the show—his first in over three years after a surprise appearance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games' closing ceremony—which turned out to be his big farewell to fans and fellow musicians. Less than a month after he triumphantly took to the stage, it was announced by his family last night that the Aston-born singer had passed away. While his official cause of death has yet to be revealed, the Mail Online can reveal that the dad-of-five had never truly experienced good health, with struggles that stretch back to his childhood. Here is a breakdown of the world's favourite chaotic rock patriarch's lifelong battles. Teenage suicide attempt According to the 2004 book 'Ordinary People: Our Story,' co-written by Ozzy and his wife, Sharon, he revealed that he suffered a series of challenges growing up as a working class child in Birmingham. Aged just 14, Ozzy admits in his book that he 'became so despondent, like someone drowning in the ocean,' that he attempted to take his own life. This followed years of bullying at school. He said: 'Tired of being called names and getting beat up, I was around 12 when I eventually started to skip school on a regular basis.' He revealed that he sought relief in alcohol, marijuana, and whatever prescription drugs he could find. 'My head was filled with these insanely dark, depressing muddled thoughts I couldn't explain,' the singer wrote. In an interview with the Mirror in 2002 the star revealed that his mental health struggles began years earlier, when he was 11, after being sexually assaulted by school bullies. Osbourne fully admitted that the experience 'completely f***ed [him] up.' Decades of addiction Years of addiction to illegal substances plagued the musician's life. From various stints in rehab, being unceremoniously sacked from the band he founded, and a run in with the law, Ozzy suffered greatly from his relationship with illegal—and legal—substances. He began smoking marijuana in childhood, but in his book revealed that it was when his bandmates introduced him to cocaine in the 1970s that his drug use changed. He began abusing prescription medication—'downers'—along with street drugs, mixing them together with no concern for the damage they could cause him physically or mentally. Ozzy said: 'I was on booze, coke, heroin, acid and Quaaludes to glue, cough syrup, Rohypnol, Klonopin, Vicodin… On more than a few occasions, I was on all of those at the same time.' Osbourne's first stint in rehab was in 1984, but it was not until thirty years later, in 2014, that he admits to taking his sobriety seriously, after seeing his son Jack also struggle with addiction. He said: 'I thought I'd be drinking to the day I die, [but] most of the people that I drank with are dead.' Parkinson's diagnosis The British musician was diagnosed with a mild form of Parkinson's disease in 2003, however he only went public with the condition in 2020. He shared his diagnosis in an interview with Good Morning America alongside Sharon. The couple met in 1970, and wed in 1982, going on to have three children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack. He shared: 'I had to have surgery on my neck which screwed all my nerves. I found out that I have a mild form of...' Struggling to finish the sentence Sharon stepped in: 'It's Parkin two which is a form of Parkinson's.' She added: 'There are so many different types of Parkinson's. It's not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination but it does affect the nerves in your body. It's like you'll have a good day, then a good day, and then a really bad day.' Caroline Rassell, CEO of Parkinson's UK, said: 'News of Ozzy Osbourne's death, so soon after his celebratory homecoming show, will come as a shock to so many. 'By speaking openly about both his diagnosis and life with Parkinson's, Ozzy and all his family helped so many families in the same situation. 'They normalised tough conversations and made others feel less alone with a condition that's on the rise and affecting more people every day. 'All of our heartfelt thoughts are with his family, friends and fans worldwide. His memory and the impact he left on the world will live on in all of them.' The proceeds from the Black Sabbath reunion earlier this month were donated to Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorns Children's Hospice. In 2003 the singer suffered a devastating quad bike accident at his Buckinghamshire home that left him with a broken neck vertebra, a broken collarbone and six broken ribs. He was forced to have extensive back surgery, and had metal rods placed in his spine. Sixteen years later in 2019 he suffered a nasty fall at home, which dislodged the metal rods and began the health nightmare that would plague him until his death. Speaking about the 2019 fall, he told Rolling Stone UK: 'It really knocked me about. The second surgery went drastically wrong and virtually left me crippled.' 'I thought I'd be up and running after the second and third, but with the last one, they put a [rod] in my spine.' He also revealed doctors found a tumor in his back at the time, 'so they had to dig all that out too'. Hospitalised with flu In February 2019, Sharon revealed he had been admitted to hospital after suffering from flu and had experienced 'complications' from the illness. Sharon tweeted: 'As some of you may have heard, Ozzy was admitted to hospital following some complications from the flu. His doctors feel this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery. Thanks to everyone for their concern and love.' 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. Further spinal surgery From 2023 onwards the Black Sabbath star underwent a number of surgeries on his back. In an attempt to stand on stage for the band's reunion tour he was moved to a specialist rehab therapist in Los Angeles to try to help him stand for several minutes on stage, walk more freely and feel better balanced. Speaking on SiriusXM's, he said: 'You know what, I go on about the way I can't walk and I can't do this, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all of my complaining, I'm still alive.' He continued: 'I may be moaning about how I can't walk as well but as I look down the road, there's people that didn't do half as much as me, and they didn't make it.' 'I'm trying to get back on my feet.' Host Billy Morrison added: 'Ozzy, you are so much better than you were just a year ago.' He replied: 'Yeah, but the recovery is very slow. That f***ing surgeon. Plus the Parkinson's. When you get up in the morning, you just jump outta bed. Oh I have to balance myself, you know?
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Birmingham mourns Ozzy Osbourne after death of Black Sabbath singer
Fans have gathered at Black Sabbath landmarks in Birmingham following the death of singer Ozzy Osbourne at the age of was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019 and played Black Sabbath's farewell gig in his home city earlier this Marshall, from Cardiff, came to Birmingham on Tuesday to celebrate his 52nd birthday and was doing the Black Sabbath tour along with his daughter, Erin, and her boyfriend, Tyler. Mr Marshall, who said he had loved Sabbath for probably more than 35 years, said Osbourne had "a life lived". The group had visited a mural of the group and Mr Marshall was having his photo taken there when he heard the news. He said: "He's done everything to excess and he's had the most fantastic life anybody could ever have and I think he's brought so much joy to so many heavy metal fans." Donna Ford and Sue Peters were in a pub, Old Still in Wolverhampton, when they heard the said the pub stopped the karaoke and played Changes, a minute's silence was held and everybody raised a glass. Speaking at the Black Sabbath bench on Broad Street in the city, they said they bought some flowers and brought them down. Birmingham-based Jim Simpson, Black Sabbath's first manager, said Osbourne "was always one of the good guys".He added: "[He was] a really sweet man, a really sweet natured man and always a pleasure to be with."Mr Simpson said the last time he spent time with him was when Osbourne was given his star on Birmingham's Broad Street."We had tea together in the green room which was in the [International Convention Centre] across the street, just him, me and his two aunties and he was lovely towards them."It was: 'Auntie, would you like another cup of tea?'"This was not the bat head biting off Ozzy Osbourne that the world knows." Aston Villa FC, whose stadium Osbourne played his final gig in earlier this month, said they were saddened to learn that the "world-renowned rockstar and Villan" had passed club added: "Growing up in Aston, not far from Villa Park, Ozzy always held a special connection to the club and the community he came from." Birmingham Children's Hospital and Charity said Ozzy had "an incredible career and life, but never forgot his Brummie roots". "Our hospital was extremely lucky to have his support over the years and most recently with his iconic final performance, which will leave a lasting legacy for our sick kids." It added the hospital had "lost a friend, Birmingham a son and the world a musical legend". Central BID (Business Improvement District) Birmingham said he was "a true icon and a beloved son of Birmingham"."Ozzy's legacy has touched every corner of the globe, but his heart never left our city. "From his groundbreaking days with Black Sabbath to his solo success, Ozzy helped shape the sound of modern music and carried Birmingham's name with pride throughout his extraordinary career."Birmingham has lost a legend, but his voice, his spirit, and his story will live on." Lyle Bignon, a night-time economy ambassador based in Birmingham, said: "From Birmingham working class roots to fronting one of the world's biggest bands, creating a whole new genre in the process, Ozzy's place in popular music and culture is forever sealed."To return to the city with his original bandmates for the final Back To the Beginning show just weeks ago was a coup de grace that few artists will ever match." Pop culture convention Comic Con Midlands, where Osbourne met fans weeks ago, said he was not just a rock star, he "was a piece of Birmingham's soul, and his impact on music, culture, and generations of fans will live on forever".It said: "To have Ozzy with us a couple of weeks ago, here in Birmingham where it all began for him, was an unforgettable honour." Birmingham City University, which posted images on X from June at the Freedom of the City event in recognition of Black Sabbath's connection to Birmingham, said he was a "Brummie legend".The university added "the Prince of Darkness... put our city on the map". Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
'A unique presence and fearless talent': Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76
Either clad in black or bare-chested, Ozzy Osbourne was often the target of parents' groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show 'The Osbournes.' His career as the front man for Black Sabbath started in 1967 with an advert in a shop window - "Ozzy Zig Needs a Gig". The band that replied became Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne began his career - to his own surprise - as the 'Prince of Darkness'. "When Black Sabbath first formed forty odd years ago we used to rehearse across the road from a picture house and Tony Iommi said wasn't it funny how people liked to go watch horror films and get scared and why didn't we start writing scary music? And that's really the way it started. We weren't practicing witchcraft. We didn't realise it was for real." Born John Michael Osbourne, he dropped out of school aged 15, holding several low-paid jobs and spending a short spell in prison for burglary before embarking on his musical career. Osbourne was always proud of his roots in the UK Midlands and the fact the band came from the streets - and not some record company executive. "The thing what I like about Black Sabbath was the fact that we weren't a creation by some mogul who said, 'oh we'll get a guy from Glasgow, this guy and whatever'. We were 4 guys, local guys from Aston in Birmingham who had go and we got successful and that's something you can't buy, especially nowadays you know." Black Sabbath's first LP in 1969 - titled simply 'Black Sabbath' is seen by many as the 'Big Bang' of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie 'summer of love' party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock 'n' roll. But the band's first manager, Jim Simpson, says Osbourne was exactly the opposite. "He was one of nature's good guys, one of the real innocents of this world. Totally trusting. The world has lost a better soul than they probably imagine they had in their company until Ozzy's passing." His stage presence was unhinged at times, with many pointing to the possibly apocryphal story that he bit the head off a bat live on stage, later claiming he thought it was a rubber toy thrown on stage by a fan. Drink and drugs, and a habit of showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs, led to him being fired by the band in 1979. Osbourne reemerged the next year with a solo album 'Blizzard of Ozz' and the following year's 'Diary of a Madman,' both hard rock classics that went multi-platinum. In the 1990s, the MTV reality show The Osbournes became a worldwide hit, portraying the star as a well-meaning, often befuddled patriarch of an unruly household. He told the New York Times that was the real Ozzy Osbourne - 'I am not the Antichrist', he said, 'I'm a family man'. The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July 2025 in the U.K. for what Osborne said would be his final concert. The concert lineup included the royalty of rock, including Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, and many others. "I've met some amazing people, I've experienced so much good, bad... it's just been phenomenal. And I'm a Brummie!" Just two weeks after that last concert, Ozzy Osbourne died, according to his family, surrounded by love. Online, Sir Rod Stewart said: "Sleep well, my friend. I'll see you up there - later rather than sooner." Queen's guitarist Sir Brian May said "the world will miss Ozzy's unique presence and fearless talent".
