Ozzy Osbourne, rock musician, former lead singer of Black Sabbath. Biography
On Tuesday, July 22, it became known about the death of rock musician, co-founder of the Black Sabbath band and pioneer of the heavy metal genre Ozzy Osbourne. His work has influenced several generations of musicians, and many of his songs have become rock classics. Izvestia shares the biography of the legendary artist.
Ozzy Osbourne — childhood, the beginning of a musical career
John Michael Osborne was born in 1948 in Birmingham, UK. He became the fourth child in a large family — the future rock star had three older sisters. Later, he had two younger brothers. Osborne's parents worked at a General Electric factory.
John received the nickname "Ozzy" in elementary school for his love of The Wizard of Oz book. Studying was difficult for the boy, as he suffered from dyslexia and ADHD. Young Osborne also experienced difficulties in communicating with his peers. According to the artist himself, he tried to be funny so that others would not "pounce on him."
At the age of 15, John dropped out of school to help his parents financially. He changed several dozen low-paying jobs: he was a locksmith's assistant, a painter, and even a gravedigger. However, soon the teenager got tired of honest work and started stealing. Osborne's criminal career ended quickly — he was caught trying to sell stolen goods. The father refused to pay the fine for his son, so he spent a month and a half in prison. It was there that he got his first tattoo — the inscription OZZY on the phalanges of the fingers of his left hand.
After being released, Osbourne decided to pursue his dream of becoming a rock musician. In 1966, he played two concerts with the band Music Machine, replacing the vocalist, and then announced the recruitment of members to his own band. Bassist Terence "Geezer" Butler, guitarist and former Ozzy classmate Tony Iommi, and drummer Bill Ward responded to it. Together they created the band Earth.
Initially, young people performed covers of famous songs, but in 1969 the first original track of the band, Black Sabbath, was released. Its name is a reference to the horror film of the same name directed by Mario Bava. From that moment on, Osborne and his colleagues set out to create their own material. They also found out that the band Earth already exists, so they renamed their band Black Sabbath.
Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath
In 1970, Black Sabbath's debut album was released, and it was warmly received by the public. But the real fame of the band was brought by the second record called Paranoid, which became a breakthrough for the music industry of that time.
Osbourne recorded six more albums with Black Sabbath: Master of Reality (1971), Black Sabbath Vol. 4 (1972), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), Sabotage (1975), We Sold Our Soul for Rock ’n’ Roll (1975) and Technical Ecstasy (1976).
When recording the next record, Never Say Die! the performer had disagreements with other band members. Due to the death of his father, Ozzy fell into severe depression, began to abuse alcohol and drugs. After the frontman missed a month of rehearsals, Tony Iommi fired Osbourne.
Subsequently, Black Sabbath repeatedly gathered in the original line-up to play several concerts, and even recorded a joint album "13" (2013). The last performance of the legendary band in the original line-up took place on July 5, 2025, half a month before Osborne's death.
Ozzy Osbourne's solo Career
After leaving Black Sabbath, Osbourne's career was saved by his future wife Sharon Arden. She convinced the musician to create his own band and became his manager. Ozzy advertised in the newspaper and soon found loyal bandmates: guitarist Randall William Rhoads, bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake. That's how The Ozzy Osbourne Band appeared. The band's debut album, Blizzard of Ozz, was released in 1980 and featured hits such as Mr. Crowley and Crazy Train. The last track became Osbourne's calling card.
Even then, the musician became famous not only for his songs, but also for his outrageous antics. In 1981, at a meeting with representatives of the CBS company, an intoxicated performer bit off the head of a pigeon, which he brought to an audition in order to effectively let go of the stage. Over time, such gestures became Osborne's "trick" — during performances, he threw raw meat and giblets into the hall, and the audience responded by pelting him with the corpses of small animals.
In 1982, during a concert in support of his second album Diary of a Madman, Osbourne bit off the head of a bat. One of the fans threw the animal onto the stage, and the musician, who decided that it was a rubber toy, tried to effectively cling to it with his teeth. The mouse bit the performer in response, after which the performance had to be interrupted — Osborne was taken to the hospital to get an emergency rabies vaccine. This episode later became an integral part of Ozzy's image.
In March of the same year, the band lost its guitarist Randy Rhoads. On the way to the Orlando festival, the bus driver offered the participants a ride on his plane. When Rhoads got into the cockpit, the pilot decided to make fun of Osborne and his wife, who were sleeping on the bus, and dropped sharply, but lost control. The plane hit the roof of the bus and crashed, all its passengers were killed. Despite the bereavement, Osbourne continued the tour.
In the following years, The Ozzy Osbourne Band released several successful albums: Bark at the Moon (1983), The Ultimate Sin (1986), No Rest for the Wicked (1988), No More Tears (1991), Ozzmosis (1995).
At the same time, some tracks have caused lawsuits. So, in 1986, the artist was accused that the song Suicide Solution (1980) contains special noises that force people to take their own lives. The musician had to prove that there were no extraneous sounds in the recording, and the song itself is dedicated to the fight against alcohol addiction. Osbourne was later accused of killing a man by one of his fans, inspired by the song Bark at the Moon (1983). The charges were later dropped.
In 1992, Osbourne announced his retirement from music, but three years later he released the album Ozzmosis. And in 1989, together with singer Lita Ford, he recorded the ballad Close My Eyes Forever, which instantly became a hit. In subsequent years, the records Black Rain (2007), Scream (2010) and Ordinary Man (2020) were released. The star's latest album, Patient Number 9, was released in 2022.
Despite his advanced age and health problems, Osbourne continued to give concerts, both solo and in collaboration with Black Sabbath. In 2002, the series "The Osbournes" (The Osbournes) about the daily life of the performer and his household was also aired. The debut episode was watched by 6 million people.
Ozzy Osbourne — Personal life
Ozzy Osbourne's first wife was Thelma Riley. She worked as a cloakroom attendant at a bar where a musician performed. As Ozzy himself admitted, it was love at first sight, but he did not become an exemplary husband. The actor said that he cheated, abused alcohol and drugs, so his marital life was "like an ashtray on a motorcycle."
The musician lived with Thelma for 13 years. During this time, the couple had two children, Jessica and Louis. Osborne also adopted Elliot, his wife's son from a previous marriage. However, the couple broke up in 1981.
A year later, Osbourne married Sharon Arden, with whom he was inseparable until his death. It was she who, as a manager, helped him develop his solo project, as well as cope with addictions. They had two daughters, Aimee and Kelly, and a son, Jack.
However, not everything was smooth in the Osborne family life. In 1989, the musician was arrested because he was drunk and tried to strangle his wife. The couple reconciled, but in 2016 they almost broke up again — this time because of Ozzy's affair with a stylist. Despite the conflicts, the family was saved.
"It was my destiny to be who I am. I was just being myself. And I had a great manager," the musician said of his wife.
Ozzy Osbourne's health problems and death
For two decades, Osbourne suffered from Parkinson's disease, as well as from the effects of spinal injuries — in 2003, the artist fell from an ATV and damaged his cervical vertebrae, and then in 2019, the condition of the elderly artist was aggravated by another fall. Subsequently, he underwent four surgeries, after which he practically stopped walking.
Nevertheless, in July 2025, the musician gave a farewell concert in Birmingham. Osbourne took to the stage, sitting on a stylized bat-shaped throne. He was joined by members of the original Black Sabbath line-up, as well as Metallica, Slayer, Korn, Alice in Chains, and others. The event lasted 10 hours, and although Ozzy was unable to play the entire concert, he performed several well-known songs. All the funds raised were donated to charity.
On July 22, it became known about the death of Ozzy Osbourne. He was 76 years old. The cause of death has not been disclosed, however, according to media reports, the artist has recently experienced serious health problems.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
