On July 22, the unimaginable occurred. Ozzy Osbourne, front-man of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, died at the age of 76. Industry veterans and generation-wide fan bases have all come together. Everyone is reminiscing the life of a musical maestro, one who paved the path for his successors.
Osbourne’s death has occurred merely weeks after Black Sabbath’s final performance in Birmingham, England. The ‘Prince of Darkness‘ has left a mark untouched by his contemporaries and a source of inspiration for millions of fans.
Ozzy Osbourne: The Origins
Born John Michael Osbourne on 3 December 1948, Osbourne’s father was a toolmaker, while his mother worked at a car component factory. Growing up, school was not the best space for the rock star considering his experiences with learning disabilities throughout. He ended up dropping out at 15, dabbling with various uncertain jobs, and even trying his hand at crime.
It was around that time he was exposed to The Beatles’ She Loves You. Ozzy Osbourne has credited that song for his change of mind. Mentioning it in an interview, he said:
“I remember exactly where I was, and I was walking down Witton Road in Aston. I had a blue transistor radio, and when that song came on, I knew from then on what I wanted to do with my life.”
Soon he came together with friend Terry ‘Geezer’ Butler, bought a mic and an amplifier, and formed a short-lived band. They eventually came together with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward to perform what they termed “scary music”. At the time, they rehearsed in front of a local cinema. A screening of the 1963 film Black Sabbath there gave birth to the band’s name — and its legacy.
The Success and The Plateau
Black Sabbath has often dominated the charts. Reaching number eight on the UK charts for their debut, was not a one-time occurrence. This was the sort of reception that the band had started to gain, albeit with its necessary dose of criticism. Their albums Paranoid, Volume 4, and others sold over a million copies.
Around 1975, the band would get critical acclaim whilst simultaneously losing their essence. It was around this time that Osbourne started succumbing to drugs and alcohol, leaving his band-mates uncertain about their future. In what was a common trend in bands at the time, Ozzy too had tensions with his members, going so far as attempting to record a solo album as well.
He eventually came back to record with the band only to be fired and replaced by Ronnie James Dio. Osbourne then went back to working on his solo project with Sharon Arden, who he later married and credited for his recovery.
In 1982 the singer came under fire again, this time, for biting the head of a live bat in Iowa. He previously bit off the heads of two doves in a record label meeting as well. Ozzy Osbourne’s other eccentric and jaw-dropping actions did not deem him as glamorous but as an abuser of substances, not seen as appealing.
Wake Up and Transition
While his solo endeavour kicked off rather spectacularly, he achieved great commercial success in the US metal scene. In 2002, an unexpected attempt at reality TV put Osbourne’s home life on the map, and everyone’s screens. His dysfunctional home life and profanity use became a pop-culture central for all things Ozzy and the success he was catapulted into was massive.
Osbourne continued to collaborate with Black Sabbath, eventually topping the charts with them in 2013. Five years later, he declared himself to be free of substance use. However, in 2019 his syndrome metastasized again, causing him to eventually be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Other complications plagued his health too.
This eventually led to the farewell concert, where despite his misgivings, a 76 year-old Osbourne performed to his best of abilities, with other contemporaries like Metallica and Guns N’ Roses paying their respects.
Just like in the past, Ozzy Osbourne succumbed to his death at his own terms — leaving behind a life of intrigue, thrill, and certainly a list of Dos and Don’ts for survival.
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