Ozzy Osbourne, Heavy Metal’s ‘Prince of Darkness,’ Dead at 76

From 1969-1979, Ozzy, born John Michael Osbourne, fronted the metal band Black Sabbath. He released eight albums with the band, which explored occult themes and earned Ozzy the nickname “The Prince of Darkness.” Their songs like “Iron Man” and “War Pigs” defined the genre. Ozzy was fired from the band in 1979, mainly due to his excessive drug and alcohol addictions. Regardless, Ozzy Osbourne found success as a solo act in the ’80s, releasing a string of commercially successful albums and singles. During this time, he would do wild publicity stunts promoting his status as the Dark Lord of rock, like biting the heads off of live doves, and even a bat. Although he claimed he believed the bat was fake. All this cemented his status as the one rock star parents feared most.

Ozzy would later reunite with Black Sabbath for several new albums and tours. His wife Sharon, who became his manager, developed Ozzfest in the ’90s. This music festival focused on promoting metal bands, with Ozzy himself as the centerpiece. In the early 2000s, Ozzy Osbourne and his family popularized the concept of reality shows focusing on celebrities and their personal lives with MTV’s The Osbournes. Shockingly, this reframed him as an absent-minded dad. His wife, Sharon, and their children, Jack and Kelly, all became overnight celebrities thanks to The Osbournes, introducing Ozzy himself to a whole new demographic.

Since then, Ozzy went on tour on and off again. And he did so while battling a host of health problems, including Parkinson’s Disease and emphysema. Ozzy Osbourne last performed just a few weeks prior to his death, on July 5, a performance that was announced as his final show. He was joined by a parade of A-list hard rock bands, all honoring the iconic Prince of Darkness. Rising from a winged throne in front of a crowd of 42,000, just weeks before his death, Ozzy Osbourne said, “It’s so good to be on this f------ stage, you have no idea. Let the madness begin!” In typical Ozzy fashion, he went out with a bang, and not a whimper.