Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne (born December 3, 1948, Birmingham, England) is a British musician who gained a loyal following as the vocalist for the 1970s heavy metal group Black Sabbath before embarking on a successful solo career in the 1980s.

Early life and forming Black Sabbath

Raised in a working-class family, Osbourne dropped out of school at age 15 and held several low-paying jobs. He also engaged in petty crime and at 17 was imprisoned for two months for burglary. After his release, he sang in a number of local rock groups, eventually forming the rock band Earth with guitarist Tony Iommi. To avoid confusion with another band of the same name, the group changed its name to Black Sabbath—after an old Boris Karloff movie. The group developed a grinding, ominous sound, based on the blues but intensely amplified, and drew attention with its tendency to reference the occult in its lyrics. In February 1970 Black Sabbath released its eponymous first album and quickly developed a following in both Britain and the United States.

Britannica Quiz

Pop Culture Quiz

Going solo

The band released albums each year through the mid-1970s, except 1974. After the tour for Never Say Die (1978), Osbourne left the band. A period of despair and drug abuse led to Osbourne’s divorce from his first wife, Thelma Mayfair. He then met and married Sharon Arden, who encouraged him to start a career as a solo artist. His first effort, achieved with the primary help of guitarist Randy Rhoads, was Blizzard of Ozz (1980). A multiplatinum success, thanks in part to the standout single “Crazy Train,” it was followed by the equally popular Diary of a Madman (1981), which sold more than five million copies. A defining moment in Osbourne’s career came on the tour for the album, when, thinking that someone in the audience had thrown him a rubber toy, Osbourne bit off the head of a live bat.

Ozzfest and reunion with Black Sabbath

Osbourne found his first solo Top 40 hit with “Mama, I’m Coming Home” from the album No More Tears (1991), and in 1993 he won a Grammy Award for best metal performance for the song “I Don’t Want to Change the World.” Despite announcing his retirement in 1992, he continued recording through the decade. Ozzfest, an annual summer music festival featuring heavy metal acts organized by Osbourne and his wife, began in 1996 and toured throughout the United States and, in some years, parts of Europe. By the end of the 1990s, Osbourne had reunited the original members of Black Sabbath for a new album and tour, and in 1999 the band won a Grammy for best metal performance for the song “Iron Man.” In 2013 Osbourne made his first studio record, 13, with Black Sabbath after a 35-year absence. “God Is Dead?,” a single from the recording, earned the band another Grammy for best metal performance.

The Osbournes

In 2001 the reality television show The Osbournes, which focused on the life of Osbourne and his family, premiered on MTV, and within two months it had become the third highest-rated offering on cable television. The hugely popular show ran until 2005. The family later starred in the reality series The Osbournes Want to Believe (2020– ) and the special The Osbournes: Night of Terror (2020), both of which focused on paranormal investigations.

Later music

In March 2006 Osbourne and the members of Black Sabbath were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2007 he released his first solo studio album in six years, Black Rain. He followed with Scream (2010), Ordinary Man (2020), and Patient Number 9 (2022). The latter won the Grammy for best rock album, and its single “Degradation Rules” (featuring Tony Iommi) was named best metal performance. In 2023 Osbourne canceled his upcoming concerts because he was “not physically capable” of the traveling required to tour. The 74-year-old Osbourne stated that his body was weakened from a serious spinal injury suffered four years earlier. However, he continued to record; in 2024 he teamed up with Billy Morrison on the single “Crack Cocaine.” That same year he was nominated to be inducted as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Acting roles

Osbourne occasionally acted, playing himself or a comparable rock star in such movies as Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) and the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters. He also lent his voice to the animated feature Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) and its sequel, Sherlock Gnomes (2018), as well as Trolls World Tour (2020).