Ozzy Osbourne, born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England on December 3, 1948, rose to fame in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath.
The group developed a grinding, ominous sound, based on the blues but intensely amplified, and drew attention with its tendency to reference the occult in its lyrics. In February 1970, Black Sabbath, originally called “Earth”, released its eponymous first album and quickly developed a following in both Britain and the United States. The band released albums each year through the mid-1970s, except for 1974. After the tour for Never Say Die (1978), Osbourne left the band due to his drug and alcohol abuse.
A period of despair and drug abuse led to Osbourne’s divorce from his first wife, Thelma Mayfair. He then met and married Sharon Arden, who encouraged him to start a career as a solo artist. His first effort was Blizzard of Ozz (1980), which was a multiplatinum success, thanks in part to the standout single “Crazy Train,” and was followed by the equally popular Diary of a Madman (1981), which sold more than five million copies.
A defining moment in Osbourne’s career came on the tour for the album, when, thinking that someone in the audience had thrown him a rubber toy, Osbourne bit off the head of a live bat.
Despite announcing his retirement in 1992, Osbourne continued recording through the decade. Ozzfest, an annual summer music festival featuring heavy metal acts organized by Osbourne and his wife, began in 1996 and toured throughout the United States and, in some years, parts of Europe. By the end of the 1990s, Osbourne had reunited the original members of Black Sabbath for a new album and tour, and in 1999 the band won a Grammy for best metal performance for the song “Iron Man.”
In March 2006, Osbourne and the members of Black Sabbath were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013 Osbourne made his first studio record, 13, with Black Sabbath after a 35-year absence.
In addition to his music career, Ozzy Osbourne has occasionally acted, playing himself or a comparable rock star in several movies and lent his voice to a few animated features. He has also been a popular television personality, appearing in several reality shows, including “The Osbournes,” which chronicled the lives of his family members. The hugely popular show ran until 2005, and the family later starred in other reality series focused on paranormal investigations.
He recently canceled his upcoming concerts because he was “not physically capable” of the traveling required to tour, due to a serious spinal injury suffered four years earlier. The 74-year-old rocker was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in early 2020.
He said: “My original plan was to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, and when the offer to do this show came in, I optimistically moved forward.”
The Power Trip festival reposted Ozzy’s statement, but has not yet announced his replacement act. The lineup currently includes iconic rock bands similar to Black Sabbath like Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden.
Despite his health issues, Osbourne remains a cultural icon and one of the most influential figures in the history of heavy metal.
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