Ozzy Osbourne Biography

Ozzy Osbourne was the lead singer of heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath, and later the star of the groundbreaking “reality” TV series The Osbournes.

Black Sabbath formed in 1968 and included guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. They cranked up the volume, capitalized on a wild ‘black magic’ image, and recorded now-classic albums of heavy rock, including Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1971) and Master of Reality (1971).

Ozzy left the band in 1979 and the fans followed him. Not only did he have hit records, he was a magnet for controversy: in 1982 his guitarist, Randy Rhoades, was killed when the plane he was riding in buzzed the tour bus and crashed; Ozzy once bit the head off a bat while on stage, giving himself a rabies scare; he bit the head off a dove in the offices of record executives he felt were ignoring him; he was sued over his song “Suicide Solution” by the parents of a teenage fan who had killed himself (the case was dismissed); and he was arrested in 1982 for urinating on a historical “shrine” — The Alamo. Along the way he toured and released successful albums such as Blizzard of Ozz (1980), Bark at the Moon (1983), Ultimate Sin (1986) and Ozzmosis (1995).

In 2002 he and his family made it to MTV in a hit “reality sitcom,” called The Osbournes, a video journal of their wacky life in an L. A. mansion. The show ran from 2002-05 and brought Ozzy to a new level of fame, while also givign him a new, softer image of weird-but-lovable family man.

Ozzy Osbourne continued to tour in the 21st century, even after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. On July 5, 2025 he reunited with the original members of Black Sabbath for “Back to the Beginning,” a final concert in his hometown of Birmingham, England. The 10-hour concert included sets by bands like Slayer, Metallica, and Pantera, and finally Black Sabbath, with Ozzy singing while sitting on a throne. 17 days later he died of a heart attack, with Parkinson’s and chronic coronary disease being listed as supporting causes.