Jake Lhotan (Iona University): “Like every other contributor, Ozzy has had a major impact on my life, beginning February 2013. At that point, I had already been a fan of rock music given that I had attended my first concert, KISS, summer of 2010. However, it was this time that my mom and stepfather used the iconic ‘Crazy Train’ as their wedding song. I was hooked and became an instant Ozzy fan. During 2020, I bought his penultimate album, Ordinary Man, with the hopes of seeing him perform live that summer. Unfortunately, between the Prince of Darkness’ deteriorating health and a raging pandemic, this could not happen. But Ozzy’s legacy lives on and even as I type this, I am jamming out to ‘I Don’t Wanna Stop.’ Rest easy, Ozmesiter.”
Elias Orellana (Florida Institute of Technology): “Like everyone, hearing about Ozzy’s passing certainly had some whiplash on me. Growing up with lots of music, I grew up listening to a lot of The Big Four (especially Metallica and Megadeth), GNR, alongside multiple others including some Black Sabbath and Ozzy himself. Some of my favorite songs from Ozzy included ‘Crazy Train’, ‘Iron Man’, ‘War Pigs’ and more, so it’s safe to say that Ozzy had a big impact on my tastes and life. My love for the fruits of Ozzy’s influence is what eventually led to me playing guitar and even playing live college shows, to the point where my impulsive choice to perform War Pigs as my first college song feels more like an accidental honorary moment in retrospect. God bless his soul and Ozzy forever!”
Vincent Giannantonio (Iona University): “I’ve been listening to Ozzy Osbourne since I was at a young age, and when I heard about his passing, like many others, I was devastated. He was a childhood hero to me despite me not growing up in his era. My first ever memory of Ozzy was when me and my family took a trip to Maryland and one of his hit songs ‘Shot in the Dark’ started playing, and I started to get into the groove of the song instantly to the point where I told my parents ‘play it again’ and it even caught them off guard because it was a genre of music they didn’t think a six-year-old can get into. From that moment on, I’ve always admired Ozzy’s work, including some songs that may be remembered off the top of people’s head’s, such as ‘Flying High Again’ and ‘No bone movies’. Of course, as an avid sports watcher, I would go to many events where they had ‘Crazy Train’ playing and that meant something to an Ozzy fan like me because that song can get fans including me hyped up.”
Tyler Gil (Iona University): “Ozzy Osbourne was born December 3, 1948 and had died Jul. 22, 2025. He was the lead singer for the band Black Sabbath and a couple of his most famous tracks were ‘Paranoid’, ‘War Pigs’, ‘Children of the Grave’, ‘Iron Man’, and a few of his original classics were ‘Crazy Train’ and ‘Mr. Crowley’. Ozzy was the god of metal and influenced so many amazing bands. He left a mark on rock ‘n’ roll music and also made it into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame twice back in 2006 and 2024. RIP Ozzy Osbourne.”