Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English musician and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adopted the nickname "Prince of Darkness".[3]
"Ozzy" and "John Osbourne" redirect here. For similar names, see Ozzy (disambiguation), John Osborn (disambiguation), and John Osborne (disambiguation).
Ozzy Osbourne
- Singer
- songwriter
- media personality
-
Thelma Riley(m. 1971; div. 1982)
5 (including Aimee, Kelly, and Jack Osbourne)
Vocals
1967–present
Osbourne became a founding member of Black Sabbath in 1968, providing lead vocals from their self-titled debut album in 1970 to Never Say Die! in 1978. The band was highly influential in the development of heavy metal music, in particular their critically acclaimed releases Paranoid, Master of Reality, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to alcohol and drug problems. He then began a successful solo career with Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 and has released 13 studio albums, the first seven of which received multi-platinum certifications in the US. He has since reunited with Black Sabbath on several occasions. He rejoined in 1997 and helped record the group's final studio album, 13 (2013) before they embarked on a farewell tour that ended with a 2017 performance in their native Birmingham. His longevity and success have earned him the informal title of the "Godfather of Metal".[4][5]
Osbourne has sold over 100 million albums, including his solo work and Black Sabbath releases.[6][7] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024. He was also inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame both solo and with Black Sabbath in 2005. He has been honoured with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham Walk of Stars. At the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards, he received the Global Icon Award. In 2015, he received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
In the early 2000s, Osbourne became a reality television star when he appeared in the MTV reality show The Osbournes alongside his wife and manager Sharon and two of their children, Kelly and Jack. He co-stars with Jack and Kelly in the television series Ozzy & Jack's World Detour.
Early life
Osbourne was born at Maternity Hospital in Marston Green on 3 December 1948,[8] and grew up in the Aston area of Birmingham.[8][9] His mother, Lilian (née Unitt; 1916–2001), was a non-observant Catholic who worked at a Lucas factory.[10][11][12] His father, John Thomas "Jack" Osbourne (1915–1977), worked night shifts as a toolmaker at the General Electric Company.[13][14] Osbourne has three older sisters named Jean, Iris, and Gillian, and two younger brothers named Paul and Tony. The family lived in a small two-bedroom home at 14 Lodge Road in Aston. Osbourne gained the nickname "Ozzy" as a child.[15] He dealt with dyslexia at school.[16] His accent has been described as a "hesitant Brummie".[17] At the age of 11, he suffered sexual abuse from school bullies.[18] He claims to have attempted suicide multiple times as a teenager.[19][20]
Osbourne left school at the age of 15 and was employed as a construction site labourer, trainee plumber, apprentice toolmaker, car factory horn-tuner, and slaughterhouse worker. He dabbled in crime as a youngster and was convicted of robbing a clothes shop, but was unable to pay the fine; his father also refused to pay it in order to teach him a lesson, resulting in Osbourne spending six weeks in Winson Green Prison.[13] He participated in school plays, including Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado and HMS Pinafore.[21] Upon hearing the first hit single of the Beatles at age 14, he became a fan of the band and credited their 1963 song "She Loves You" with inspiring him to become a musician.[14][22] In the 2011 documentary God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, he said that the Beatles made him realise that "[he] was going to be a rock star the rest of [his] life".[23]
Legacy
Osbourne is considered an icon of hard rock music, and one of the founders of heavy metal music through his work with Black Sabbath. He dislikes being categorized as metal, stating that while his band "plays heavy", other bands that are considered metal are "really heavy". "When you get pigeonholed with a certain [genre], it can be very difficult to do something a bit lighter or an acoustic track or whatever you want to do. Back in the day, it was always just rock music. It’s still just rock music."[201][202]
Current members:
