Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025)
It is a bad idea to return to this blog on a dark note, but it is hard to skip past the great tragedy of this summer and loss of a musician that so profoundly impacted my life. The Godfather of heavy metal, John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne passed away at the age of 76 today. Just a few weeks after his last show that featured some of the largest bands in the world, the Prince Darkness left us to join the angels, either in Heaven or Hell.
Perhaps he will be welcome above and below…
Some of the greatest memories of my teen years was of Ozzfest, a day-long heavy metal festival bringing together new bands with headliners like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Pantera, System of a Down, Rob Zombie, and so many more. For me and my degenerate friends, the party began in the parking lot, which was nothing more than a big field with plenty of mud, lines of mostly functional porta-potties, music blaring from car radios, black shirts, awesome tattoos, ugly tattoos, dixie cups, nipple tassels, cases of cheep beer, Jack Daniels, pot, and possibly a few other illegal substances (the statute of limitations have passed but it still feels risky to confess). It was an event the pulled together friends from across several towns near me, meeting up in a centrally-located town square and rolling out six to eight cars deep.
It was the biggest party of the year for many of us.
There was something for everyone. Not exactly family friendly but not dangerous either. There were tents for merchants, including tattoo artists, and body paint. It was an entire day together enjoying our favorite music that ended with the man himself: Ozzy. Some years it was his solo act, other times it was Black Sabbath. It never disappointed.
At the end of the night, you would hear Ozzy yell “I love you all” time after time between his greatest hits: No More Tears, Perry Mason, Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, Shot in the Dark, and Flying High Again. The years Black Sabbath joined him, there was Black Sabbath, War Pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man, and Fairies Wear Boots.
Most, whether young or old, knew the lyrics. For someone who loves heavy metal, it was an incredible experience to hear the songs from the man and the band that gave birth to the genre. There is no heavy metal without Ozzy Osbourne. It was like being in the presence of a founding father, a twisted shaman, a prophet, a figure you must pay homage to every year.
It is the music genre I grew up with and love to this day.
For years, I wondered how long he would be with us given his lifestyle and hard years of drugs and alcohol. For him to make it to 76 years is something we should all be thankful for, especially for those that got to attend his final show.
Ozzfest introduced me and millions of others to new bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, Slipknot, Linkin Park, Black Label Society, Lacuna Coil, Papa Roach, P.O.D., and so many more. Some of them may have taken off without Ozzfest I suppose, but there was never an Ozzfest without a new band making an impression on all of us. For me, it was getting thrown into the pit during Slipknot. That is not something you forget. You certainly don’t forget the song.
It was Spit it Out, by the way.
Ozzy not only launched many careers by giving a platform to them at Ozzfest, Black Sabbath influenced every single band that dabbled in hard rock, heavy metal, death metal, speed metal, Nu Metal, and whatever other subgenre emerged from the 70s onward. Thousands of bands can trace their creative lineage to Black Sabbath. A family tree beyond compare. Lars Ulrich, the drummer of my favorite band of all time, declared that there would be no Metallica without Ozzy.
It is not hyperbole. Black Sabbath founded an entire musical genre.
The music genre I love, my favorite band on Earth, the memories, the friendships, and connections built on the art that millions of us love are gifts Ozzy and Black Sabbath gave to us. His influence extends beyond metal, hard rock, beyond the English-speaking world, beyond music.
It was said in the announcement today he was surrounded by his family and died peacefully.The man’s personal life was certainly filled with upheaval, and deep lows. His story is one for the ages.
Today, we grieve the loss of the Godfather of Heavy Metal. John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne.
Rest in Peace Prince of Darkness.