Latest news with #legend
BBC News
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Legend of Burslem 'witch' retold in opera by community group
An opera based on the legend of a Stoke-on-Trent witch in the 1600s opens to audiences on story of Margaret "Molly" Leigh is shrouded in myth and conjecture. She was born in Burslem in about 1685, and as she grew older she became a landowner but never became ostracised by people in the town, which was thought to be because she looked "different", and rumours about her being a witch behind the contemporary performance at B-Arts on Hartshill Road said it would explore these as well as the theme of being different in the modern day. Francesca Le Lohé is the composer and co-director of the she first came across the story of the accused witch, she said she felt immediately drawn to it."Molly's story is all rumour. It's all fabricated, everything we know about her is from everyone else's point of view"."I thought it's really interesting that you have got all these different perspectives but we don't know how Molly would have described herself," she Le Lohé added that she and others created the opera with the aim that it would help people investigate the rumours and devise their own opinions of the legend. Maurice Greenham is chair of the North Midlands LGBT+ Older Peoples Group and is one of those taking part in the 80-year-old once had a career in the West End in his 30s, and now finds himself treading the boards again after he was drawn to the parallels between Molly Leigh and the LGBT+ performer said he felt as if Molly Leigh was an outsider, an attribute he believed connected her to how people in that community feel."There's all sorts of clues there, so nowadays I regard her as part of the LGBT community," Mr Greenham of the show run until Sunday. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76: fans paying tribute
Edmonton Watch Fans are paying tribute to a heavy metal legend after Ozzy Osbourne died Tuesday morning. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa reports.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ozzy Osbourne mourned by Tony Iommi, Elton John, Marilyn Manson and more
A wide range of rock stars paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne on Tuesday after learning the former Black Sabbath frontman died at 76, just over two weeks after playing a farewell show in his native England. Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi expressed his grief on X. 'I just can't believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park,' he wrote. 'It's just such heartbreaking news that I can't really find the words. There won't ever be another like him.' Fellow Brit Elton John said he would miss his friend dearly and sent his love to Osbourne's family. 'He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods — a true legend,' John wrote in an Instagram post calling Osbourne 'one of the funniest people I've ever met.' English singer-songwriter YUNGBLUD, who performed at Black Sabbath's final show on July 5 in Birmingham, expressed his shock that Osbourne had died after seeming so full of life just weeks ago. 'I will never forget you — you will be in every single note I sing and with me every single time I walk onstage,' he wrote. 'You took us on your adventure — an adventure that started it all. I am truly heartbroken. You were the greatest of all time.' Marilyn Manson, who was clearly influenced by Osbourne's theatrics, honored his friend as a 'genuine hero and inspiration.' 'It was one of the greatest privileges in my life to have known him as a friend,' Manson wrote on Instagram. 'His beautiful spirit will remain in my heart forever.' Sammy Hagar, former lead singer of Van Halen, remembered his 'brother' as a 'one-of-a-kind true rock legend.' 'For him to have been that close to death on July 5 and still get up there and perform like he promised… Wow! That puts him in a category of his own,' Hagar wrote. Metallica, who introduced Black Sabbath when they were inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, posted a photo of themselves with Osbourne accompanied by a broken heart emoji. Nancy Sinatra, Jack White, Travis Barker, and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones were also among the many paying tribute to Osbourne online. The cause of Osbourne's death on Tuesday wasn't immediately released, though the 'Crazy Train' singer revealed in 2020 that he was battling Parkinson's disease. At his farewell concert earlier this month, Osbourne performed from a chair because he was unable to stand, but his voice and charisma were as strong as ever.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elton John says Ozzy Osbourne was ‘in the pantheon of rock gods'
Elton John says Ozzy Osbourne was 'in the pantheon of rock gods' Sir Elton John said that Ozzy Osbourne was a 'huge trailblazer' who 'secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods'. He joined Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and other famous faces in paying tribute to the Black Sabbath singer after his death on Tuesday. Sir Elton posted 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.' Wood joined Osbourne and Black Sabbath's last gig at Villa Park earlier this month. ADVERTISEMENT He posted on X: 'I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne. 'What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham.' I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne 💔🙏 What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham🙏☀️❤️🎤 — Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) July 22, 2025 A post on Metallica's social media accounts showed a heartbreak emoji as well as a picture of the band members with Osbourne. Meanwhile, Justice Secretary and Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood said she was among those who celebrated Osbourne's life and legacy just weeks ago. ADVERTISEMENT She wrote on X: 'Devastated to hear the news of his death today. One of the greatest gifts my city gave the world. 'My thoughts are with his family. 'In Ozzy's own words: Birmingham forever.'
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sharon Osbourne's haunting tribute to Cosby Show star just hours before Ozzy's death was announced
Sharon Osbourne shared a heartfelt tribute to Malcolm-Jamal Warner just hours before her family confirmed the death of her husband, legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy, the iconic Black Sabbath frontman, died Tuesday at age 76. A statement from his family revealed he passed earlier that day and had been 'surrounded by love.' Strikingly, not long before news of Ozzy's passing became public, Sharon shared a touching message in memory of Warner, who tragically died the day prior at 54 in a reported drowning accident. On her Instagram story, Sharon, 72, posted a video of Warner smiling while driving, wearing a baseball cap decorated with a flower for his daughter. In the clip, the actor shares an uplifting message about finding joy in everyday moments. 'No matter what's going on, there's always a reason to smile,' Warner says in the video. 'If you just take a minute to stop and take stock, I guarantee you can find at least one reason to smile.' He continued: 'And if for some reason you can't find a reason to smile, then that's probably the best time to be the reason for somebody else to smile.' Sharon captioned her tribute: 'Beautiful. Rest in peace @malcolmjamalwarner.' Ozzy's death comes just two weeks after his final performance at the Back to the Beginning concert, where he reunited on stage with his fellow Black Sabbath bandmates for a celebratory farewell. In a statement, his family said: '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. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.' The rocker was able to bid an emotional farewell to his fans on stage this month as he reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005. 'You've no idea how I feel - thank you from the bottom of my heart,' Osbourne told the crowd in his final speech. The music legend vowed, however, that it would be his final ever performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson's in 2020. The star was a titan of music who somehow survived controversies that would end the careers of many others, and weathered health problems that would leave most of us on our backs. Whether it was biting the head off both a bat and a dove, snorting a line of ants or urinating on a US war memorial while wearing one of his wife Sharon's dresses, Osbourne was defined by his antics both on and off stage. The singer, who sold more than 100 million records, will forever be synonymous with the heavy metal band he formed in his home city of Birmingham in 1969. With hits that included Iron Man, War Pigs and Paranoid, Black Sabbath's pushing of occult themes proved both hugely popular and controversial, with a future pope even condemning Osbourne for his 'subliminal satanic influence'. Osbourne's most infamous moment came when he bit the head off a bat that had been thrown on stage during a solo performance. He later claimed he thought it was made of rubber. Osbourne forged a hugely successful solo career after being thrown out of his band in 1979 due to his drug-fuelled antics, with hits that included Crazy Train and Hellraiser. But his hellraising off stage continued. In 1989 he attempted to kill Sharon while high on drugs, and seven years before that he urinated on the treasured Alamo Cenotaph in Texas, an act that saw him banned from San Antonio for a decade. He was also injured in a quad bike crash at his UK home in 2003, an episode that had a serious impact on his fragile health. Yet there was also redemption for the troubled singer, who relaunched himself as a reality tv star in The Osbournes in the early 2000s, after getting clean from drink and drugs with the help of Sharon. It saw two of his and Sharon's children, Kelly and Jack, become stars in their own right, whilst their other daughter Aimee declined to appear. There was a return too to Black Sabbath in 1997, when the original line-up got back together. Five years later, he and Iommi were an unlikely part of the star-studded lineup at the Queen's Golden Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, where they performed Paranoid. Osbourne's final performance with Black Sabbath came in 2025, when he reunited with his bandmates for a final gig at Aston Villa's Villa Park stadium in Birmingham. Having then suffered from Parkinson's disease for more than five years, he was seated for much of the farewell performance. Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, the singer was raised by his parents Lilian and John with three older sisters and two younger brothers in a small two-bedroom home in Birmingham. The family of eight grew up poor and Ozzy said it was difficult because his parents were always fighting about money. Their strained marriage meant Ozzy did not speak to his parents after he was repeatedly sexually abused, aged 11, by two bullies. He said in a later interview: 'I was afraid to tell my father or mother and it completely f***ed me up. Dirty little secrets fester and that is one of the first things I said to my kids.' Aged 14, Osbourne tried to hang himself and was only saved by his father. He was a persistent truant from school and suffered from both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, whilst his violent streak made an early appearance when he once attacked a teacher with an iron bar. The only subject that caught his attention at school was music and he performed in several productions of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. Osbourne left education at 15 and found work as a laborer and abattoir worker. Osbourne then turned to petty crime. After stealing a television and baby clothes just before his 18th birthday, he was arrested and spent six weeks behind bars because his father refused to pay his £40 fine. It was while in prison that Osbourne gave himself his first tattoo: 'OZZY' in capital letters on the knuckles of his left hand. He formed his first band, Rare Breed, at 19, with bassist Geezer Butler. When the pair fell out with their bandmates, they joined Iommi and Ward to set up Black Sabbath in 1968, which was first named Earth. They renamed the band in 1969 in tribute to their favorite horror film. The move set Osbourne, Iommi and Ward on the path to heavy metal royalty. The group quickly established a reputation for dabbling with satanic and occult themes. One early critic wrote: 'His baroque prophesies of doom were uttered against a background of a uniquely heavy guitar sound.'
