Ozzy Osbourne

Early life

John Michael Osbourne was born on 3 December 1948 at the maternity hospital in Marston Green (demolished in the 1990s), which was then in its historic county Warwickshire. Osbourne grew up in the Aston (also then in Warwickshire) area of North-Central Birmingham. His mother, Lilian (née Unitt; 1916–2001), was a non-observant Catholic who worked at a Lucas factory. His father, John Thomas "Jack" Osbourne (1915–1977), worked night shifts as a toolmaker at the General Electric Company. Osbourne had 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. He dealt with dyslexia at school. His accent was described as "hesitant Brummie".

At the age of 11, Osbourne suffered sexual abuse from school bullies. He said he attempted suicide multiple times as a teenager. He participated in school plays, including Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado and H.M.S. Pinafore. 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. In the 2011 documentary God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, Osbourne said that the Beatles made him realize that "[he] was going to be a rock star the rest of [his] life".

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. At the age of 17, he was convicted of robbing a clothes shop, but was unable to pay the fine; his father also refused to pay it to teach him a lesson, resulting in Osbourne spending six weeks in Winson Green Prison.

Musical career

Black Sabbath

In late 1967, Geezer Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, and recruited Osbourne to be the singer. The band played two shows and broke up. Osbourne and Butler reunited in another band, Polka Tulk Blues, which included guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, whose band Mythology had recently broken up. They renamed the band Earth, but after being accidentally booked for a show instead of a different band with the same name, they decided to change the band's name again, settling on the name Black Sabbath in August 1969. The band's name was inspired by the film of the same title. Black Sabbath noticed how people enjoyed being frightened during their appearances, which inspired their decision to play a heavy blues style of music laced with gloomy sounds and lyrics. While recording their first album, Butler read an occult book and woke up seeing a dark figure at the end of his bed. Butler told Osbourne about it, and together they wrote the lyrics to "Black Sabbath", their first song in a darker vein.

The band's US record label, Warner Bros. Records, invested only modestly in it, but Black Sabbath achieved swift and enduring success. Built around Tony Iommi's guitar riffs, Geezer Butler's lyrics, Bill Ward's dark tempo drumbeats, and topped by Osbourne's eerie vocals, their debut album, Black Sabbath, and second, Paranoid, were commercially successful and also gained considerable radio airplay. Osbourne recalled, however, that, "in those days, the band wasn't very popular with the women". At about this time, Osbourne first met his future wife, Sharon Arden. After the unexpected success of their first album, Black Sabbath were considering her father, Don Arden, as their new manager, and Sharon was at that time working as Don's receptionist. Osbourne admitted he was attracted to her immediately but assumed that "she probably thought I was a lunatic". Osbourne later recalled that the best thing about eventually choosing Don Arden as manager was that he got to see Sharon regularly, though their relationship was strictly professional at that point.

Five months after the release of Paranoid, the band released Master of Reality. The album reached the top ten in both the United States and UK, and was certified gold in less than two months. In the 1980s, it received platinum certification and went Double Platinum in the early 21st century. Reviews of the album were unfavourable. Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone famously dismissed Master of Reality as "naïve, simplistic, repetitive, absolute doggerel", although the very same magazine would later place the album at number 298 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, compiled in 2003.

Solo career

After leaving Black Sabbath, Osbourne recalled, "I'd got £96,000 for my share of the name, so I'd just locked myself away and spent three months doing coke and booze. My thinking was, 'This is my last party, because after this I'm going back to Birmingham and the dole." However, Don Arden signed him to Jet Records with the aim of recording new material. Arden dispatched his daughter Sharon to Los Angeles to "look after Ozzy's needs, whatever they were", to protect his investment. Arden initially hoped Osbourne would return to Sabbath, who he was personally managing at that time, and later attempted to convince the singer to name his new band "Son of Sabbath", which Osbourne hated. Sharon attempted to convince Osbourne to form a supergroup with guitarist Gary Moore. "When I lived in Los Angeles", Moore recalled, "[Moore's band] G-Force helped him to audition musicians. If drummers were trying out, I played guitar, and if a bassist came along, my drummer would help out. We felt sorry for him, basically. He was always hovering around trying to get me to join, and I wasn't having any of it."

In late 1979, under the management of the Ardens, Osbourne formed the Blizzard of Ozz, featuring bassist-lyricist Bob Daisley (of Rainbow and, later, Uriah Heep), guitarist Randy Rhoads (of Quiet Riot), drummer Lee Kerslake (of Uriah Heep), and keyboardist Don Airey (of Rainbow and, later, Deep Purple) as a session musician. The record company eventually titled the group's debut album Blizzard of Ozz, credited simply to Osbourne, thus commencing his solo career. Co-written with Daisley and Rhoads, it brought Osbourne considerable success on his first solo effort. Though it is generally accepted that Osbourne and Rhoads started the band, Daisley later claimed that he and Osbourne formed the band in England before Rhoads officially joined.

Blizzard of Ozz is one of the few albums among the 100 best-sellers of the 1980s to have achieved multi-platinum status without the benefit of a top-40 single. As of August 1997, it had achieved quadruple platinum status, according to RIAA. "I envied Ozzy's career..." remarked former Sabbath drummer Bill Ward. "He seemed to be coming around from whatever it was that he'd gone through, and he seemed to be on his way again; making records and stuff... I envied it because I wanted that... I was bitter. And I had a thoroughly miserable time."

Osbourne's second album, Diary of a Madman, featured more songs co-written with Lee Kerslake. For his work on this album and Blizzard of Ozz, Rhoads was ranked the 85th-greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2003. This album is known for the singles "Over the Mountain" and "Flying High Again" and, as Osbourne explained in his autobiography, was his personal favourite. Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo soon replaced Kerslake and Daisley. Aldridge had been Osbourne's original choice for drummer, but a commitment to Gary Moore had made him unavailable.

Ozzfest and intermittent Black Sabbath reunions

Osbourne's entire CD catalogue was remastered and reissued in 1995. The same year, Osbourne released Ozzmosis and resumed touring, dubbing his concert performances "The Retirement Sucks Tour". The album reached number 4 on the US Billboard 200. The RIAA certified the album gold and platinum in that same year, and double platinum in April 1999.

The line-up on Ozzmosis was Wylde, Butler (who had recently quit Black Sabbath again), Steve Vai, and Hardline drummer Deen Castronovo, who later joined Journey. Keyboards were played by Rick Wakeman and producer Michael Beinhorn. The tour maintained Butler and Castronovo and saw Sinclair return, but a major line-up change was the introduction of former David Lee Roth guitarist Joe Holmes. Wylde was considering an offer to join Guns N' Roses. Unable to wait for a decision on Wylde's departure, Osbourne replaced him. In early 1996, Butler and Castronovo left. Inez and Randy Castillo (Lita Ford, Mötley Crüe) filled in. Ultimately, Faith No More's Mike Bordin and former Suicidal Tendencies and future Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo joined on drums and bass respectively.

In 1996, Sharon Osbourne created Ozzfest after she was rebuffed by Lollapalooza when she tried to get Ozzy on that festival circuit. The tour was well-received, which prompted the festival to become a yearly occurrence. The first Ozzfest was not a national tour, but rather a two-day festival held in Phoenix, Arizona, and Devore, California, on 25 and 26 October 1996 respectively. Ozzfest Live, a compilation of ten live tracks recorded during this festival, was released on 29 April 1997.

Osbourne, Iommi and Butler formally reunited as Black Sabbath for the 1997 Ozzfest shows, with Osbourne also performing double duty as a solo act. Ward was absent due to health issues.

A greatest hits package, The Ozzman Cometh, was issued in 1997.

In December 1997, all four members of the band reunited to record the live album Reunion. Osbourne also toured with the band again from 1997 to 1999 for the album's concert tour. The album proved to be a commercial success upon its release in October 1998. During this period, Osbourne also sang guest vocals on Tony Iommi's 2000 debut solo album. The reformed Black Sabbath would go on to perform at Ozzfest in 2001, 2004 and 2005, before going on another hiatus due to a dispute between Osbourne and Iommi over the rights to the trademark "Black Sabbath".

Other work

Ozzfest

Osbourne's biggest financial success of the 1990s was a venture named Ozzfest, created and overseen by his wife and manager Sharon and assisted by his son Jack, after Ozzy was turned down by the organisers of the Lollapalooza festival. The first Ozzfest was held in York, Pennsylvania, on 20 September 1996. Ozzfest was an instant hit with metal fans, giving many up-and-coming groups who were featured there broad exposure and commercial success. Some acts shared the bill with a reformed Black Sabbath during the 1997 Ozzfest tour, with the first two shows in Bristow, Virginia and West Palm Beach, Florida.

From its inception to 2005, more than four million people attended Ozzfest, and it grossed more than US$170 million over the same period. The festival helped promote many new hard rock and heavy metal acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ozzfest helped Osbourne to become the first hard rock and heavy metal star to hit $50 million in merchandise sales. In 2005, Osbourne and his wife Sharon starred in an MTV competition reality show entitled Battle for Ozzfest. A number of yet unsigned bands sent one member to compete in a challenge to win a spot on the 2005 Ozzfest and a possible recording contract. During Ozzfest 2005, after having missed several shows due to ill health, Osbourne announced that he was retiring from the event. He did in fact return to Ozzfest in 2006, but with a reduced schedule, leaving many of the concerts to be closed by System of a Down instead of himself.

Tickets for the 2007 tour were offered to fans free of charge, which led to some controversy. In 2008, Ozzfest was reduced to a one-day event in Dallas, where Osbourne played, alongside Metallica and King Diamond. In 2010, the tour opened with a Jersey Shore spoof skit starring Osbourne. Osbourne appeared as the headliner closing the show after opening acts Halford and Mötley Crüe. The tour, though small (only six US venues and one UK venue were played), generated rave reviews.

Media appearances

Osbourne achieved greater celebrity status through the MTV reality television series The Osbournes. Created by his wife Sharon, the show follows the home life of Ozzy Osbourne and his family (wife Sharon, children Jack and Kelly, occasional appearances from his son Louis, but eldest daughter Aimee did not participate). The programme became one of MTV's greatest hits. It premiered on 5 March 2002, and the final episode aired on 21 March 2005.

The success of The Osbournes led Osbourne and the rest of his family to host the 30th Annual American Music Awards in January 2003. The night was marked with constant "bleeping" due to some of the lewd and raunchy remarks made by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. Presenter Patricia Heaton walked out midway in disgust. On 20 February 2008, Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne hosted the 2008 BRIT Awards held at Earls Court, London. Ozzy appeared in a TV commercial for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! which began airing in the UK in February 2006.

Osbourne appears in a commercial for the online video game World of Warcraft. He was also featured in the music video game Guitar Hero World Tour as a playable character. He becomes unlocked upon completing "Mr. Crowley" and "Crazy Train" in the vocalist career. The 2002 dark fantasy combat flight simulator Savage Skies was initially developed under the title Ozzy's Black Skies and was to feature his likeness as well as songs from both his stint in Black Sabbath as well as his solo career, but licensing issues forced developer iRock Interactive to re-tool the game and release it without the Osbourne branding.

In October 2009, Osbourne published I Am Ozzy, his autobiography. He said ghost writer Chris Ayres told him he had enough material for a second book. A film adaptation of I Am Ozzy is also in the works, and Osbourne said he hoped "an unknown guy from England" will get the role over an established actor, while Sharon stated she would choose established English actress Carey Mulligan to play her.

A documentary film about Osbourne's life and career, entitled God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, premiered in April 2011 at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released on DVD in November 2011. The film was produced by Osbourne's son Jack. On 15 May 2013 Osbourne, alongside the current members of Black Sabbath, appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Skin in the Game". The History Channel premiered a comedy reality television series starring Ozzy Osbourne and his son Jack Osbourne on 24 July 2016, named Ozzy & Jack's World Detour. During each episode Ozzy and Jack visit one or more sites to learn about history from experts, and explore unusual or quirky aspects of their background.

Controversies

Public image

Ozzy Osbourne courted controversy throughout his career. He adopted the title "Prince of Darkness" (POD), took on a demonic stage persona, and portrayed himself as the "Madman of Rock". Many Christian religious groups accused Osbourne of being a Devil worshipper, of promoting Satanism, and of being a harmful influence on teenagers. He was demonised by Protestant fundamentalists such as Jeff Godwin, and by Catholics such as Cardinal John O'Connor, who called his music "a help to the devil". Osbourne denied being a Satanist and "responded with defiance by simply absorbing the charges into his stage persona". He also struck back by mocking the Christian right in his lyrics, such as the song "Miracle Man", which targeted one of Osbourne's main detractors Jimmy Swaggart after his sex scandal. Scholar Christopher M. Moreman compared the controversy to those levelled against the occultist Aleister Crowley. Both were demonised by the media and Christian groups. Osbourne tempted the comparison with his 1980 song "Mr. Crowley".

In 1981, after signing his first solo record deal, Osbourne bit the head off a dove during a meeting with CBS Records executives in Los Angeles. Apparently, he had planned to release doves into the air as a sign of peace, but due to intoxication, he instead grabbed a dove and bit its head off. He then spat the head out, with blood still dripping from his lips. As security was escorting Osbourne out of the building, he grabbed a second dove and also bit its head off. Due to its controversy, the head-biting act has been parodied and alluded to several times throughout his career and is part of what made Osbourne famous.

On 20 January 1982, Osbourne bit the head off a bat that he thought was rubber while performing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. According to a 2004 Rolling Stone article, the bat was alive at the time; however, 17-year-old Mark Neal, who threw it onto the stage, said it was brought to the show dead. According to Osbourne in the booklet to the 2002 edition of Diary of a Madman, the bat was not only alive but managed to bite him, resulting in Osbourne being vaccinated against rabies. On 20 January 2019, Osbourne commemorated the 37th anniversary of the bat incident by offering an "Ozzy Plush Bat" toy "with detachable head" for sale on his personal web-store. The site claimed the first batch of toys sold out within hours.

On 19 February 1982, Osbourne reportedly drunkenly urinated on a wall at the Alamo Plaza or at the Alamo Cenotaph erected in honour of those who died at the Battle of the Alamo in Texas, at the plaza and near the actual building However, the arrest record indicates that the cause of the arrest was actually Public Intoxication.

Songwriting credits and trademark disputes

In lawsuits filed in 2000 and 2002 which were dismissed by the courts in 2003, former band members Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake, and Phil Soussan stated that Osbourne was delinquent in paying them royalties and had denied them due credit on albums they played on. In November 2003, a Federal Appeals Court unanimously upheld the dismissal by the US District Court for the Central District of California of the lawsuit brought by Daisley and Kerslake. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Osbourne did not owe any royalties or credit to the former band members, who were let go in 1981. To resolve further issues, Ozzy's manager and wife Sharon chose to replace Daisley and Kerslake's contributions on the original masters, replacing them with Robert Trujillo on bass and Mike Bordin on drums. The albums were then reissued. The original tracks were restored for the 30th anniversary of the albums.

In July 2010, Osbourne and Tony Iommi decided to discontinue court proceedings over ownership of the Black Sabbath trademark. As reported to Blabbermouth, "Both parties are glad to put this behind them and to cooperate for the future and would like it to be known that the issue was never personal, it was always business."

Personal life

Osbourne had more than 15 tattoos, the earliest of which were the letters O-Z-Z-Y across the knuckles of his left hand. He created this himself as a teenager with a sewing needle and pencil lead.

In 2002, Osbourne and wife Sharon were invited to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner by Fox News Channel correspondent Greta Van Susteren for that year's event. President George W. Bush noted Osbourne's presence by joking, "The thing about Ozzy is, he's made a lot of big hit recordings – 'Party with the Animals', 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', 'Facing Hell', 'Black Skies' and 'Bloodbath in Paradise'. Ozzy, Mom loves your stuff."

A longtime fan of the comedy troupe Monty Python, in a 2010 interview with Us Weekly Osbourne stated, "My favourite movie is Monty Python's Life of Brian".

Osbourne was a supporter of Premier League club Aston Villa. On 22 December 2025, Osbourne's grandson, Sidney was a mascot for John McGinn during Aston Villa match against Manchester United in Villa Park.

Osbourne suffered minor burns after a small house fire at his family home in Beverly Hills in January 2013.

On his 65th birthday on 3 December 2013, he asked fans to celebrate his birthday by donating to the Royal Marsden cancer charity in London.

Relationships

Osbourne had six children; three from his first marriage and three from his marriage to Sharon Osbourne.

In 1971, Osbourne met his first wife Thelma Riley at the Rum Runner, the Birmingham nightclub where she worked. They were married later that year, and children Jessica and Louis were soon born. Osbourne also adopted Riley's five-year-old son Elliot from a previous relationship. Osbourne later referred to his first marriage as "a terrible mistake". His use of alcohol and other drugs, coupled with his frequent absences while touring with Black Sabbath, took their toll on his family life; his children later complained that he was not a good father. In the 2011 documentary film God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, produced by his son Jack, Osbourne admitted that he could not even remember when Louis and Jessica were born. Louis later made cameo appearances in The Osbournes. He and Jessica are both actors.

Osbourne began to date his manager Sharon Arden. Guitarist Randy Rhoads predicted in 1981 that the couple would "probably get married someday" despite their constant bickering and the fact that Osbourne was still married to Thelma at the time. Ozzy and Sharon married on 4 July 1982. He later confessed that the Independence Day date was chosen so that he would never forget his anniversary. The couple had three children together: Aimee (born 2 September 1983), Kelly (born 27 October 1984), and Jack (born 8 November 1985). After Jack's birth, Osbourne had a vasectomy. Osbourne had many grandchildren. During their relationship, Osbourne had many extra-marital affairs. After Ozzy's wife Sharon learned of his four-year extra-marital relationship with hairdresser Michelle Pugh, she attempted suicide.

Osbourne wrote a song for his daughter Aimee, which appeared as a B-side on his seventh studio album Ozzmosis (1995). At the end of the song, she can be heard saying "I'll always be your angel", referring to the song's chorus lyrics. The song "My Little Man", which appears on Ozzmosis, was written about his son Jack. He and his family divided time between homes in Buckinghamshire and Los Angeles.

Religion

Osbourne said in a 1986 interview, "I'm a Christian. I was christened as a Christian. I used to go to Sunday school. I never took much interest in it because...I didn't". In a later 1992 interview, he said "I believe in God. I don't go to church, but I don't think you have to go to church to believe in God." The New York Times reported in 1992 that he was a member of the Church of England and prayed before each show.

In 2010, Osbourne expressed disgust at the Westboro Baptist Church when they sang a parody of the song "Crazy Train" for a picket they held during the Snyder v. Phelps Supreme Court hearing with lyrics promoting their ideology, stating "I am sickened and disgusted by the use of 'Crazy Train' to promote messages of hate and evil by a 'church.'"

Certain Christian groups and ministers long denounced Osbourne as an immoral Satanist, which he always dismissed. He responded by mocking the Christian right in some of his lyrics, and parodied Christian evangelists in the film Trick or Treat where he portrayed a conservative minister.

In 2025, Jack Osbourne stated on the podcast Hate To Break It To Ya Podcast with James Kennedy that near Ozzy's death he had a Bible with him at all times and would show it to all his visitors. Jack also stated that his dad would identify with Christianity and that he was frustrated with the public's perception of himself and Satanism.

Politics

Osbourne wrote in his 2009 autobiography, "I'm not so comfortable with politicians". He recalled meeting former British Prime Minister Tony Blair at an awards show: "I couldn't get over the fact that our young soldiers were dying out in the Middle East and he could still find the time to hang around with pop stars". Osbourne was critical of Donald Trump. He said the US president was "acting like a fool" with his response to COVID-19. He added "If I was running for president, I would try and find out a little bit about politics. Because the fucking guy you've got in there now doesn't know that much about it". In 2020, after Trump used Osbourne's song in his campaign, he issued a statement forbidding Trump, or any other campaign, from using his music without approval. In 2024, Osbourne said "Donald Trump is a felon, right? Correct me if I'm wrong, felons can't own a gun. He can't own a gun, but he could start World War III on his own".

In 2022, Osbourne expressed his support for Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion of the country. That year, he dedicated his album Patient Number 9 to Ukraine, and pledged to donate all proceeds to the Third Wave Volunteers organisation. Ozzy and his wife Sharon announced they planned to host two families of Ukrainian refugees at their Buckinghamshire estate.

Osbourne's wife Sharon, who identifies as Jewish, said shortly after the October 7 attacks on Israel, "Ozzy is so confused by it all and just keeps asking me to explain why there is so much hatred of Jews". Around this time, Osbourne said he did not want any association with Kanye West, due to West's antisemitism. In 2024, following calls for a cultural boycott of Israeli artists, he and Sharon were among those who signed an open letter by Creative Community For Peace, in "support of freedom of expression and against discriminatory boycotts". In 2025, he and Sharon were among those who signed an open letter calling for an investigation into alleged anti-Israel bias in the BBC's coverage of the Gaza war.

Use of alcohol and other drugs

Osbourne used tobacco, alcohol, street drugs, and prescription drugs for most of his adult life. He admitted to Sounds in 1978, "I get high, I get fucked up ... what the hell's wrong with getting fucked up? There must be something wrong with the system if so many people have to get fucked up ... I never take dope or anything before I go on stage. I'll smoke a joint or whatever afterwards." Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi said that while all the band smoked tobacco, drank alcohol, and took other illicit drugs in the 1970s, Osbourne had the unhealthiest lifestyle of them all. Despite this, said Iommi, he was typically the only one left standing when the others were "out for the count". Upon being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Osbourne spent the next three months locked in his hotel room drinking alcohol and taking vast amounts of drugs "all day, every day".

Osbourne later commented on his former wild lifestyle, expressing bewilderment at his own survival through 40 years of misusing tobacco, alcohol, street drugs, and prescription drugs. Longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde has attributed Osbourne's longevity in spite of decades of substance abuse to "a very special kind of fortitude that's bigger than King Kong and Godzilla combined... seriously, he's hard as nails, man!"

Osbourne's first experience with cocaine was in early 1971 at a hotel in Denver, Colorado, after a show Black Sabbath had done with Mountain. He states that Mountain's guitarist, Leslie West, introduced him to the drug. Though West was reluctant to take credit for introducing Osbourne to cocaine, Osbourne remembered the experience quite clearly: "When you come from Aston and you fall in love with cocaine, you remember when you started. It's like having your first fuck!" Osbourne said that upon first trying the drug, "The world went a bit fuzzy after that."

Osbourne claimed to have taken LSD every day for two years while in Black Sabbath. During the end of his time with the band, he said he "got very drunk and very stoned every single day".

Osbourne's substance abuse, at times, caused friction within his band. Don Airey, keyboardist for Osbourne during his early solo career, said that these issues were what ultimately caused him to leave the band. In his memoir Off the Rails, former bassist Rudy Sarzo detailed the frustrations felt by him and his bandmates as they coped with life on the road with Osbourne, who was in a state of near-constant inebriation and was often so hungover that he would refuse to perform. When he was able to perform, his voice was often so damaged from his smoking, drinking, and drug abuse that the performance suffered. Many shows on the American leg of the 1981–82 Diary of a Madman tour were simply cancelled, and the members of his band quickly began to tire of the unpredictability, coupled with the often violent mood swings he was prone to when either drunk or high.

Health issues

Osbourne was dyslexic, and suggested he may have had ADHD.

Osbourne experienced tremors for some years and linked them to his continuous drug abuse. In 2003, he found out it was a genetic form of Parkinson's disease. Osbourne had to take daily medication for the rest of his life to combat the involuntary shudders associated with the condition. He publicly revealed the Parkinson's diagnosis in January 2020, saying, "I'm not dying from Parkinson's. I've been working with it most of my life." Osbourne also showed symptoms of mild hearing loss, as depicted in the television show The Osbournes, where he often asked his family to repeat what they say.

On 6 February 2019, Osbourne was hospitalised in an undisclosed location on his doctor's advice due to flu complications, postponing the European leg of his "No More Tours II" tour. The issue was described as a "severe upper-respiratory infection" following a bout with the flu which his doctor feared could develop into pneumonia, given the physicality of the live performances and an extensive travel schedule throughout Europe in winter conditions.

By 12 February 2019, Osbourne had been moved to intensive care. Tour promoters Live Nation said that they were hopeful that Osbourne would be "fit and healthy" and able to honour tour dates in both Australia and New Zealand in March. Osbourne later cancelled the tour entirely, and ultimately all shows scheduled for 2019, after sustaining serious injuries from a fall in his Los Angeles home while still recovering from pneumonia. In February 2020, Osbourne cancelled the 2020 North American tour, seeking treatment in Switzerland until April. In 2020, Osbourne also revealed that he had emphysema.

By 2025, he had lost his ability to walk due to Parkinson's disease.

Death and funeral

Osbourne died at his home in Buckinghamshire on the morning of 22 July 2025, aged 76, surrounded by his family, 17 days after the Back to the Beginning farewell concert. His primary cause of death was ruled as acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction listed as associated factors.

A number of public figures and musicians shared tributes. Elton John referred to him as "a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend."

On 30 July, his funeral cortege left Villa Park, passing Osbourne's childhood home on Lodge Road, and proceeded to Broad Street, which was closed to traffic. It stopped at the Black Sabbath Bridge where Osbourne's family viewed flowers and messages left by fans, and met with the Lord Mayor. The cortege then passed by the Black Sabbath mural on Navigation Street and The Crown where Black Sabbath played their first concert. Tens of thousands of people gathered along the route to observe. That same day, the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. A private funeral was held the following day, attended only by his family and a select gathering of close friends and rock stars, including Elton John, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, James Hetfield, and his Black Sabbath bandmates. In accordance with his wishes, Osbourne was interred on the grounds of his private family estate, Welders House, near a "beautiful" lake.

Legacy

Osbourne was one of the founders of heavy metal music through his work with Black Sabbath and was described by Rolling Stone in 2020 as "hard rock's comeback kid". He has been referred to as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal" and the "Madman of Rock". He disliked being categorised 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."

Outside of music, Osbourne and his family's show The Osbournes is regarded as a pioneering reality television programme which ushered in an era of shows focusing on celebrity family life.

An exhibition on Osbourne's life was put on display at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on 25 June 2025 (prior to his death), featuring memorabilia, photographs, and tributes to his career and legacy. Originally scheduled to close on 28 September 2025, the exhibition was extended to 18 January 2026 following public demand and tributes after his death, and was later extended again until 27 September 2026.

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, a BBC documentary filmed over three years, aired on 2 October 2025 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It chronicles Osbourne's return to the UK, his health challenges, and his final live performance in Birmingham, held just over two weeks before his death. The documentary film Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape from Now chronicles the final six years of Osbourne's life. It had been in development prior to his death, and was released on Paramount+ on 7 October 2025.

In May 2026, Osbourne's wife and son announced plans for an artificial intelligence-powered avatar of him, which could appear in concerts, films and adverts.

Band members

Final members:

Ozzy Osbourne – vocals (1979–1992, 1994–2025)

Zakk Wylde – lead guitar, backing vocals (1987–1992, 1995, 1998, 2001–2004, 2006–2009, 2017–2025)

Mike Inez – bass (1989–1992, 1996, 1998, 2025)

Adam Wakeman – keyboards, rhythm guitar (2004–2025)

Tommy Clufetos – drums (2010–2025)

Awards

Osbourne received several awards for his contributions to the music community. In 1994, he was awarded a Grammy Award for the track "I Don't Want to Change the World" from Live & Loud for Best Metal Performance of 1994. At the 2004 NME Awards in London, Osbourne received the award for Godlike Genius. In 2005, Osbourne was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame both as a solo artist and as a member of Black Sabbath. In 2006, he was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler. In 2024, Osbourne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo career.

In 2007, Osbourne was honoured at the second annual VH1 Rock Honors, alongside Genesis, Heart, and ZZ Top. In addition, that year a bronze star honouring Osbourne was placed in the Birmingham Walk of Stars on Broad Street in the city centre. He was presented the award by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham on 6 July. "I am really honoured", he said, "All my family is here and I thank everyone for this reception—I'm absolutely knocked out".

In 2008, Osbourne was crowned with the prestigious Living Legend award in the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards. Past recipients include Alice Cooper, Lemmy, and Jimmy Page. Slash, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist, presented the award. In 2010 Osbourne won the "Literary Achievement" honour for his memoir, I Am Ozzy, at the Guys Choice Awards at Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City, California. Osbourne was presented with the award by Ben Kingsley. The book debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times's hardcover non-fiction best-seller list. Osbourne was also a judge for the 6th, 10th and 11th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. In May 2015, Osbourne received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors at a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. In 2016, Osbourne attended the naming of a Midland Metro tram after him in Birmingham.

In April 2021, Osbourne was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame for his various appearances, notably for his appearance at WrestleMania 2 in 1986 when he and Lou Albano managed The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) in their WWF Tag Team Championship win over The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake).

On 30 June 2025, one week before their farewell "Back to the Beginning" concert, Osbourne and the other original members of Black Sabbath were each made Freemen of the City of Birmingham.

Tours

Polka Tulk Blues/Earth Tour 1968–1969 – with Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath Tour 1970 – with Black Sabbath

Paranoid Tour 1970–1971 – with Black Sabbath

Master of Reality Tour 1971–1972 – with Black Sabbath

Vol. 4 Tour 1972–1973 – with Black Sabbath

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Tour 1973–1974 – with Black Sabbath

Sabotage Tour 1975–1976 – with Black Sabbath

Technical Ecstasy Tour 1976–1977 – with Black Sabbath

Never Say Die! Tour 1978 – with Black Sabbath

Blizzard of Ozz Tour (1980–1981) – as solo artist

Diary of a Madman Tour (1981–1982) – as solo artist

Speak of the Devil Tour (1982–1983) – as solo artist

Bark at the Moon Tour (1983–1985) – as solo artist

The Ultimate Sin Tour (1986) – as solo artist

No Rest for the Wicked Tour (1988–1989) – as solo artist

Theatre of Madness Tour (1991–1992) – as solo artist

No More Tours Tour (1992) – as solo artist

Retirement Sucks Tour (1995–1996) – as solo artist