I still remember it like it was yesterday. Upon awaking from a much needed nap following a procedure this past July 22nd, I was saddened to learn that one of my icons, legendary rock star Ozzy Osbourne, had passed away at the age of 76, mere weeks after his final concert.
Despite the soothing fact that Osbourne “was with his family and surrounded by love”, as per his family’s official statement, the loss is no less tragic. After the announcement, various rock artists, such as Billy Idol, Elton John (who collaborated with Osbourne on the powerful ballad “Ordinary Man”, off Osbourne’s penultimate album of the same name), Gene Simmons (of KISS fame, who remarked “there was never an Ozzy before Ozzy”), Metallica, and of course, his former bandmates of Black Sabbath, delivered their condolences. Even for my own purposes, I had no idea that I would go from eagerly writing about Osbourne’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction last year to penning a pseudo-eulogy for him. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith also performed an amazing tribute to Ozzy at the Video Music Awards this past weekend. Now let us delve into the life and career of my favorite solo artist.
Ozzy Osbourne, real name John Michael Osbourne, was born on December 3, 1948 in Birmingham, England to parents Lillian and John Osbourne. Osbourne was one of six children, having three older sisters and two younger brothers.
Being the victim of bullying in grade school, Osbourne looked for escapism in the form of Beatles records.
Osbourne once stated that the band made him realize that “[he] was going to be a rock star the rest of [his] life.”
Sure enough, upon forming Black Sabbath, which, along with Led Zeppelin, was considered a progenitor of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Osbourne and bandmate Tony Iommi wanted to create a “horror movie Beatles.” They did indeed, granting us iconic tunes such as “Paranoid”, “Iron Man” (a nickname often given to Osbourbe himself) and “War Pigs.”
Of course, nothing lasts forever, as Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in the late 1970s and soon began his solo career. He hit the ground running with back-to-back albums “Blizzard Of Ozz”, containing one of the all-time best songs, “Crazy Train” and by far his best album, “Diary of A Madman”, responsible for songs such as the title track, “Flying High Again” and “Over the Mountain.”
He further blew fans away with albums such as “The Ultimate Sin”, featuring “Shot in the Dark”, the title track, and “Lightning Strikes”, and “No More Tears”, featuring the eponymous 8-minute song and “Mama, I’m Coming Home”, a favorite of many. Inevitably, all of this equates to a music festival dedicated to Ozzy – the name being “Ozzfest”.
When Ozzy wasn’t biting off bat heads at concerts, he cameoed in films such as Adam Sandler’s “Little Nicky”, was invited to the White House Correspondents Dinner by President Bush in 2002, sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh-inning-stretch of a Los Angeles Dodgers game and even starred in “The Osbournes” – a reality show about his family, springboarding the careers of his two youngest children, Kelly and Jack.
Osbourne is survived by his loving wife, Sharon, and six children across two marriages.
Rest in Peace to the “Great Ozz”. You were never an “Ordinary Man” and are certainly flying high again.
