Ozzy Osbourne (December 3, 1948 - July 22, 2025)
It is the end of an era. A hard rock and heavy metal icon has passed, the one many consider the godfather of metal, Ozzy Osbourne. He was a founding member of Black Sabbath that formed in 1968 and released their first album in 1970. He wrote and sang on nine Black Sabbath albums and thirteen solo studio albums. He and his wife Sharon were responsible for starting the biggest and most successful festival tours to feature metal artists. He just played his final show from a throne on stage at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, UK on July 5. The show titled “Back To The Beginning: Ozzy’s Final Bow” was already planned for a movie release early next year. Time will tell if it will now be expanded beyond the original plan of a 100 minute concert film.
I won't claim to be Ozzy's biggest fan growing up, rather my relationship with Ozzy's music evolved over time. I was born in 1980 and I didn't start getting into rock until middle school and metal even later. I first remember being a fan of songs like "Iron Man" (1970) and "Crazy Train" (1980). When I was a kid I feel like Ozzy was always in pop culture. Pop music had Michael Jackson and Madonna. Rock music had Ozzy and Lemmy. I knew he had his own name tattooed on his knuckles. I had heard the stories of Ozzy biting the head off of a dove (1981) and a bat (1982) and urinating on the Alamo (1982). I didn't know quite what to think about it, but these things certainly made him stand out.
In 1991 he had a resurgence with his second album to feature Zakk Wylde, No More Tears, featuring the title track and "Mama I'm Coming Home." Although I was watching MTV and VH1 by this point, Headbanger's Ball was on past my bedtime. And while I enjoyed Ozzy, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Guns N Roses, etc. in 1991 the grunge and alternative movement surged quickly and dominated airwaves. I started listening to REM, Nirvana, and Soundgarden. Later Alanis Morissete, Green Day, and Weezer. In the summer of 1993 I have a distinct memory of watching the video for "Crazy Train" and thinking it was one of the greatest songs ever. In 1994 Ozzy first appeared on Beavis and Butthead. He also recorded a song with Miss Piggy from the muppets. In 1995 Ozzy's Ozzmosis album came out and I particularly liked "Perry Mason." Then Ozzy kind of faded from my attention for a few years.
In college during the fall of 1999 a friend of mine introduced me to heavier music. He was a huge fan of the Deftones' first two albums. He then turned me onto Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Staind, etc. This was pre-YouTube, but we had file sharing programs so I started to explore songs from these bands as well as go back to earlier metal like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Judas Priest. I bought cds of my favorite artists, and I went to my first concert in February of 2000. I was now on my way to becoming a true metal-head. I saw Ozzy perform live for the first time with Black Sabbath at Ozzfest 2001. They headlined an amazing show that 170 concerts later is still my favorite of all time. I enjoyed every set and even though I was tired from 12 hours of rocking, I remember thinking I could listen to Black Sabbath forever and be happy. Songs like "N.I.B" and "War Pigs" really stood out in the live performance.
In October 2001 Ozzy released Down to Earth featuring "Gets Me Through; Facing Hell; Junkie; and Dreamer." This album wasn't as heavy as a lot of his material but I liked several songs on it. In March 2002 the reality TV series The Osbournes came out. It quickly became popular as we got to peer into the family life of the Prince of Darkness and see a softer and funnier side of Ozzy which really humanized him. I saw Ozzy on stage for the second time at Ozzfest in July 2002. This time his band lineup featured Zakk Wylde on guitar, Mike Bordin on drums, and Robert Trujillo on bass. Obviously the sound was different, but still very cool. I liked everything Zakk did except I didn't think Crazy Train sounded as good with him compared to Randy Rhodes. I remember Ozzy running and jumping around a lot and hyping up the crowd, even throwing buckets of water. They played a 14 song set including two from the new album. Ozzy was maybe at the height of his popularity at this time and I loved getting to see him in his element performing.
In 2003 it became public that Ozzy was being overprescribed several types of pills which affected his speech and ability to walk. Some of the footage made it to air on his reality show and most people laughed at his condition. However, in December 2003 when an ATV accident nearly took his life it was no laughing matter. When I saw Ozzfest 2004 I went to the Camden show and Ozzy was sick so Rob Halford filled in for him with Black Sabbath. In May of 2005 he was diagnosed with Parkin syndrome, a genetic disorder related to Parkinson's disease that also causes tremors, posture instability, and affected his hearing. I got to see Ozzy again in 2007. While it was a fun concert, Ozzy didn't sound as good as the first two times I saw him and his body was not nearly as limber. His jumps were awkward, though he still tried. He didn't run around as much and he held onto the microphone stand more. The vocals were a little more garbled and he was constantly yelling "I can't hear you" and "Show me your cigarette lighters."
It was around this time that I started writing this blog to catalogue some of my concert going experiences and write about music that I enjoy. I didn't have to think for very long before I decided to call it "Diary of a Madman Bink" in honor of Ozzy. At some point my friends in Phoenixband started dedicating "Crazy Train" to me when they covered it at their shows!
In 2008 Ozzfest stopped being a big traveling tour. Ozzy continued to perform sporadically his remaining years as either a solo act or with some members of Black Sabbath until cancelling entire tours in 2019 and 2020. He was diagnosed with emphysema and Parkinson's disease. Given this, it is very fortunate that I got to see him the times that I did, and sounding pretty great in 2001 and 2002. Ozzy's last album came out in September of 2022 called Patient Number 9. I previously spoke about it here as I described it as my favorite album of the year and one of his best in a long time.
Ozzy Osbourne's passing marks not just the end of a legendary career, but the closing of a chapter in rock history that will never be repeated. From his groundbreaking work with Black Sabbath to his theatrical solo career, he didn't just perform heavy metal - he personified it, complete with all its darkness, humor, and humanity. For fans like me who discovered his music across different decades and life stages, Ozzy was a constant icon in an ever-changing musical landscape. Whether you knew him as the bat-biting madman, the loving father from reality TV, or simply as the voice behind "Iron Man" and "Crazy Train," his influence transcended generations and genres. Like the Beetles influenced him, he has influenced countless artists from Judas Priest, Van Halen, and Pantera to Candlemass, Fozzy, Halestorm, and Yungblud. I feel incredibly fortunate to have witnessed him perform during the latter end of his prime years, when his voice was strong and his stage presence electric. Those memories, along with the countless fans whose lives his music touched, ensure that while the Prince of Darkness may have taken his final bow, his legacy will continue to inspire headbangers for generations to come.
