Ozzy Osbourne is an English rock musician, better known as the solo musician and vocalist of the band Black Sabbath.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on December 3, 1948 in the British village of Marston Green.
He was the fourth child in a large family. From an early age, he showed interest in music – his mother played the piano and taught it to children.
At the same time, the situation in the family was difficult: the father abused alcohol and beat his wife, which ultimately affected the character of the future singer – he often got into fights with his peers and had problems with his studies.
Osbourne received the nickname “Ozzy” while still at school – he began to be called so because of his passion for the book “The Wizard of Oz”.
When he was 15 years old, he was expelled from school, and the future singer was forced to look for earnings. At first, he got a job as a butcher, and also worked as a grave digger in a cemetery. However, these occupations brought a meager income, and he decided to resort to theft, but soon he was detained and imprisoned for several months.
Creative career
Black Sabbath
Together with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler and drummer Bill Ward, Ozzy formed the band. The band originally had other names – Polka Tulk Blues Band and Earth.
In 1968, the musicians changed the name to Black Sabbath – in honor of the horror film of the same name, which was then shown in cinemas. The idea for the title appeared after Iommi drew attention to the long queue for tickets for the film and decided that if the audience is willing to pay for fear on the screen, then it is worth trying to convey a similar atmosphere in music.
Since then, the band’s sound has become darker and heavier, and Osbourne’s vocals have become a recognizable feature of the band.
Solo career
1979 – 1980
In 1979, Osbourne left Black Sabbath and decided to focus on a solo career, which later turned out to be very successful.
The singer moved from Britain to the United States of America (USA) and settled in San Francisco, California. There he formed a new band to record his debut album. The lineup included keyboardist Don Airy, guitarist Randy Rhodes, as well as ex-members of the Uriah Heep band – drummer Lee Kerslake and bassist Bob Daisley.
1980 – 1990
In the mid-1980s, the album Blizzard of Ozz was released, in the sound of which Black Sabbath was traced.
The following year, Ozzy revamped the line-up of his band: Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley returned to Uriah Heep, and bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge took their place.
In 1981,the album The Diary of a Madman was released, which is considered one of the strongest in the singer’s work.
In 1982, a tragedy occurred – Rhodes died in an accident. This event seriously affected the singer – he experienced a deep depression.
The planned album, which he was supposed to record with Rhodes, was never released. Instead,Gurt released a live album Speak Of The Devil, which consisted exclusively of songs from the Black Sabbath period.
In 1983, Ozzy invited guitarist Jake Lee to join the band, after which the studio album Bark at the Moon was released. It was the first release in which all the songs and lyrics were written personally by Osbourne without the participation of other musicians except for the arrangements.
The next two years were a difficult period for Osbourne – due to serious problems with alcohol and drugs, he had to undergo treatment in a clinic. He returned to active musical activity in 1985.
Upon his return, the singer updated the band’s line-up, leaving only the guitarist, and released the album The Ultimate Sin the following year. After the release, the band went on tour in support of the new record.
In 1987, Osbourne released another album – this time dedicated to the memory of Rhodes. The Randy Rhoads Tribute collection includes their live performances. All proceeds from the sale were donated to charity. In the same year, Jake Lee left the band, and guitarist Zakk Wild took his place.
In 1988, the album No Rest for the Wicked was released. During the same period, Sharon, Ozzy’s wife, officially became the manager of his band and actively supported her husband in the fight against alcohol addiction. Thanks to her efforts, the singer eventually managed to give up alcohol. However, after that, a protracted creative crisis began in his work.
1990 – 2000
In 1995, Ozzy returned to the stage with the release of the album Ozzmosis. To work on it, he gathered a powerful cast of musicians. Ozzmosis has become one of the most successful and most recognized albums in the musician’s career.
2000 – 2025
In the years that followed, Ozzy Osbourne continued to release new studio albums. In 2001, the disc Down to Earth was released, in 2005 – Under Cover. In 2007, the album Black Rain was released, followed by Scream in 2010.
After a ten-year break, the singer returned again with new material: in 2020 he saw the light of day Ordinary Man, and in 2022 – Patient Number 9.
Incidents
The singer has repeatedly gotten into high-profile scandals. The most famous of them occurred on January 20, 1982 during a speech in the city of Des Moines. One of the spectators threw a dead bat onto the stage, and Ozzy, thinking it was a toy, grabbed it and bit off its head.
In February of that year, he was arrested in San Antonio when, while intoxicated, he relieved himself near the Alamo Historical Complex. For this incident, Osborne was banned from visiting the city for years.
Death
He died on July 22, 2025 at the age of 76. This happened a few weeks after his farewell concert and reunion with the band. In recent years, Osbourne has suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
Marital Status
At the age of 21, Ozzy married Thelma Riley. Two children were born in this marriage, and he also adopted a son, Thelma, from her previous relationship. The couple divorced in 1981, when Osbourne was 33 years old.
On July 4, 1982, he married Sharon Osbourne, who has been in charge of all his affairs and routines ever since. He is married to Sharon and has three children – Amy, Kelly and Jack.
