Ozzy Osbourne

Biography & Overview

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025) was an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. Dubbed the "Prince of Darkness", he is widely credited as a pioneer of heavy metal music. He co-founded the band Black Sabbath in 1968, and rose to prominence in the 1970s as their lead vocalist. He performed on the band's first eight studio albums, including Black Sabbath, Paranoid (both 1970) and Master of Reality (1971), before he was fired in 1979 due to his problems with alcohol and other drugs.
Osbourne began a solo career in the 1980s and formed his band with Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley, with whom he recorded the albums Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and Diary of a Madman (1981). Throughout the decade, he drew controversy for his antics both onstage and offstage, and was accused of promoting Satanism by the Christian right. Overall, Osbourne released thirteen solo studio albums, the first seven of which were certified multi-platinum in the United States. He reunite...