From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Ozzy Osbourne made an impact.
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is a prominent English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He achieved fame in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the influential heavy metal band Black Sabbath. During this time, he gained the moniker "Prince of Darkness" due to the band's dark and heavy sound. After being fired from Black Sabbath, Ozzy embarked on a successful solo career, further solidifying his status as a rock icon. His solo work explored similar themes and continued his signature heavy metal style. Beyond music, Ozzy became a reality television star through "The Osbournes", offering a glimpse into his family life and contributing to his enduring popularity.
In 1963, upon hearing The Beatles' song "She Loves You", a 14-year-old Ozzy Osbourne was inspired to become a musician.
In 1967, Geezer Butler formed Rare Breed, recruiting Osbourne as the singer, marking an early collaboration between the two musicians.
In 1968, Osbourne became a founding member of Black Sabbath, which marked a significant step in his early career.
In August 1969, the band formerly known as Earth settled on the name Black Sabbath, inspired by a film of the same title, setting the stage for their signature dark sound and image.
In 1969, Iommi and Ward responded to Osbourne's flyer seeking a gig, leading to the initial meeting and subsequent working collaboration.
In August 1970, Ozzy Osbourne's first UK chart appearance was with Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", which reached number four.
In 1970, Osbourne provided lead vocals for Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album, marking the beginning of the band's influential run.
In September 1972, Black Sabbath released Black Sabbath Vol. 4. Despite critics' dismissal, it quickly reached gold status and became the band's fourth consecutive album to sell over a million copies in the United States.
In November 1973, Black Sabbath released the critically acclaimed Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, marking the first time the band received favorable reviews in the mainstream press and solidifying their success with their fifth consecutive platinum-selling album in the US.
In July 1975, Black Sabbath released Sabotage, receiving generally favorable reviews.
On September 25, 1976, Black Sabbath released Technical Ecstasy, which was met with mixed reviews.
In 1978, Osbourne left Black Sabbath for three months to pursue a solo project called Blizzard of Ozz, which was suggested by his father. Also Black Sabbath released the album Never Say Die!.
In 1978, Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath for three months to pursue a solo project called Blizzard of Ozz, a title suggested by his father, enlisting members of Necromandus to back him.
On April 27, 1979, Ozzy Osbourne was ejected from Black Sabbath due to unreliability and substance abuse issues.
In 1979, Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath due to issues with alcohol and drugs, after which he began a successful solo career.
In late 1979, Ozzy Osbourne, under the management of the Ardens, formed the Blizzard of Ozz, marking the beginning of his official solo career with the debut album also titled Blizzard of Ozz.
Upon being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Ozzy Osbourne spent the next three months locked in his hotel room taking vast amounts of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco all day, every day.
In 1980, Ozzy Osbourne's solo career began with the album Blizzard of Ozz.
In 1981, Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake were let go from the band.
In 1981, Ozzy Osbourne created live recordings that were later released in the album "Tribute", commemorating the fifth anniversary of Randy Rhoads' death in 1987.
In 1981, Ozzy Osbourne planned live recordings for an album consisting primarily of Osbourne's solo work. A live tribute album for Randy Rhoads was also later released. The live album "Speak of the Devil" ended up consisting entirely of Sabbath covers recorded with Gillis, Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge.
Ozzy Osbourne's misuse of substances caused friction within his band. Many shows on the American leg of the 1981-82 Diary of a Madman tour were simply cancelled, and the members of his band quickly began to tire of the unpredictability.
On February 18, 1982, Ozzy Osbourne drunkenly urinated on a cenotaph near the Alamo in Texas, leading to his arrest and a ban from San Antonio. Earlier that day he had drunkenly fired his entire band.
In April 1982, Ozzy Osbourne's tour resumed with Bernie Tormé, but his blues style was unpopular. Brad Gillis of Night Ranger was then selected to finish the tour after Torme returned to England. The tour culminated in the release of the live album, "Speak of the Devil".
In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne was featured as the lead vocalist on the Was (Not Was) pop dance track "Shake Your Head (Let's Go to Bed)".
In 1983, Jake E. Lee joined Ozzy Osbourne to record "Bark at the Moon". The album featured Don Airey, Tommy Aldridge and featured the song "Bark at the Moon". The music video was partially filmed at the Holloway Sanitorium outside London, England and within weeks the album became certified gold.
In 1985, Ozzy Osbourne rejoined Black Sabbath after seven years.
On May 14, 1986, shortly after its release, "The Ultimate Sin" was awarded Platinum status by the RIAA. The album was Osbourne's highest-charting studio album at the time of its release.
In 1986, Ozzy Osbourne appeared at WrestleMania 2, managing The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) alongside Lou Albano in their WWF Tag Team Championship win over The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake).
In 1987, Jake E. Lee and Ozzy Osbourne parted ways. The same year, Osbourne commemorated the fifth anniversary of Randy Rhoads' death with "Tribute", a collection of live recordings from 1981.
In 1988, Ozzy Osbourne appeared in "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" and stated that "sobriety fucking sucks". He also found Zakk Wylde and together they recorded "No Rest for the Wicked". Osbourne also performed on the rock ballad "Close My Eyes Forever", a duet with Lita Ford.
In 1989, Ozzy Osbourne performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival.
In 1991, Ozzy Osbourne released "No More Tears", which featured the song "Mama, I'm Coming Home". The album received a lot of radio and MTV exposure.
In 1992, Ozzy Osbourne originally launched 'No More Tours', and the 2018 tour was named as a reference to it.
On June 28, 1993, Ozzy Osbourne's live album "Live & Loud" was released. The album was mixed by Michael Wagener.
In 1994, Ozzy Osbourne received a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the track "I Don't Want to Change the World" from Live & Loud.
In 1995, Ozzy Osbourne's entire CD catalog was remastered and reissued, and he released the album "Ozzmosis". He also returned to touring, calling his concerts "The Retirement Sucks Tour".
On October 25 and 26, 1996, the first Ozzfest was held in Phoenix, Arizona, and Devore, California, respectively. The event was created and managed by Sharon Osbourne and assisted by Jack Osbourne.
In early 1996, Geezer Butler and Deen Castronovo left Ozzy Osbourne's band. Mike Inez and Randy Castillo filled in. Ultimately, Mike Bordin and Robert Trujillo joined on drums and bass respectively.
During the 1997 Ozzfest tour, Ozzy Osbourne reunited with the original members of Black Sabbath, starting in West Palm Beach, Florida. He has performed with them periodically since.
In 1997, Osbourne rejoined Black Sabbath, marking a reunion after a period of separation.
In 1997, Ozzy Osbourne released a greatest hits package titled "The Ozzman Cometh".
In April 1999, Ozzy Osbourne's album "Ozzmosis", originally released in 1995, was certified double platinum by the RIAA.
In 2000, former band members Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake, and Phil Soussan filed a lawsuit against Ozzy Osbourne, alleging he was delinquent in paying them royalties and denying them due credit on albums they played on.
On October 16, 2001, Ozzy Osbourne's album "Down to Earth", his first new studio material in six years, was released.
On March 5, 2002, The Osbournes, a reality television series featuring the domestic life of Ozzy Osbourne and his family, premiered on MTV.
In June 2002, Ozzy Osbourne performed the Black Sabbath anthem "Paranoid" at the Party at the Palace concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2002, former band members Bob Daisley, Lee Kerslake, and Phil Soussan continued their lawsuit against Ozzy Osbourne, alleging he was delinquent in paying them royalties and denying them due credit on albums they played on.
In 2002, the combat flight simulator Savage Skies was initially developed under the title Ozzy's Black Skies. Licensing issues forced the developer to release it without the Osbourne branding.
In January 2003, Ozzy Osbourne and his family hosted the 30th Annual American Music Awards, which was marked by controversial remarks and lewd humor.
In November 2003, a Federal Appeals Court unanimously upheld the dismissal of the lawsuit brought by Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake against Ozzy Osbourne. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Osbourne does not owe any royalties or credit to the former band members.
In 2003, Jason Newsted joined Ozzy Osbourne's band, though his time would be short. Robert Trujillo replaced Newsted in Metallica during this period.
In 2004, Ozzy Osbourne headlined Ozzfest with the reunited Black Sabbath after fully recovering from his quad accident.
In 2004, Ozzy Osbourne received the Godlike Genius award at the NME Awards in London.
In March 2005, Ozzy Osbourne released a box set called "Prince of Darkness", consisting of live performances, B-sides, demos, singles, duets, covers and new material.
On March 21, 2005, the final episode of The Osbournes aired.
In November 2005, Ozzy Osbourne released the covers album "Under Cover", featuring 10 songs from the fourth disc of Prince of Darkness and 3 more songs. The band for this album included Jerry Cantrell, Chris Wyse and Mike Bordin.
In 2005, Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon starred in the MTV competition reality show "Battle for Ozzfest".
In 2005, Ozzy Osbourne helped judge the UK series of The X-Factor, where his wife Sharon was one of the main judges.
In February 2006, Ozzy Osbourne appeared in a TV commercial for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! which began airing in the UK.
In March 2006, Ozzy Osbourne expressed his hope to release a new studio album soon with longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde.
In October 2006, it was announced that Tony Iommi, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, and Geezer Butler would be touring together again, though not as Black Sabbath, but under the moniker "Heaven & Hell".
In 2006, Ozzy Osbourne closed just over half of the Ozzfest concerts, with System of a Down closing the others. In October 2006, it was announced that Tony Iommi, Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, and Geezer Butler would be touring together again, under the name Heaven & Hell.
On May 22, 2007, Ozzy Osbourne's album "Black Rain" was released. It was his first new studio album in almost six years and featured a more serious tone.
In 2007, Ozzy Osbourne was honored at the second annual VH1 Rock Honors. Additionally, in 2007 a bronze star honouring Osbourne was placed on Broad Street in Birmingham, England, and he was named the first inductee into The Birmingham Walk of Stars.
In 2007, after the concert in Bristol, Virginia, Ozzy Osbourne announced that he would return for another year of Ozzfest.
In 2007, tickets for the Ozzfest tour were offered to fans free of charge, leading to some controversy.
On February 20, 2008, Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne hosted the 2008 BRIT Awards held at Earls Court, London.
In 2008, Ozzy Osbourne was crowned with the Living Legend award in the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, presented by Slash, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist.
In July 2009, Ozzy Osbourne revealed that he was seeking a new guitar player, stating that he felt his songs were beginning to sound like Black Label Society and wanted a change.
In August 2009, Ozzy Osbourne performed at the gaming festival BlizzCon with Gus G. as his new guitarist. He also provided his voice and likeness to the video game Brütal Legend character The Guardian of Metal.
In October 2009, Ozzy Osbourne published I Am Ozzy, his autobiography.
In April 2010, specifically on April 13, Ozzy Osbourne announced that his album Scream would be released on June 15, 2010, later changed to a week later. Also in April 2010, the single "Let Me Hear You Scream" debuted on an episode of CSI: NY.
In June 2010, Ozzy Osbourne released his album Scream.
In July 2010, Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi decided to discontinue court proceedings over ownership of the Black Sabbath trademark, resolving the issue amicably.
On August 9, 2010, Ozzy Osbourne announced that "Life Won't Wait" would be the second single from his album Scream, with the music video to be directed by his son, Jack Osbourne.
In October 2010, at the TEDMED Conference, scientists from Knome, a human genome interpretation company, joined Ozzy Osbourne to discuss the analysis of his whole genome, providing insights into his survival despite decades of substance misuse.
In 2010, Ozzy Osbourne won the "Literary Achievement" honour at the Guys Choice Awards for his memoir, I Am Ozzy. The book debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times' hardcover non-fiction best-seller list.
In 2010, the Ozzfest tour opened with a Jersey Shore spoof skit starring Ozzy Osbourne. Osbourne headlined the show after opening acts Halford and Mötley Crüe. The tour generated rave reviews.
In April 2011, the documentary film God Bless Ozzy Osbourne premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In November 2011, the documentary film God Bless Ozzy Osbourne was released on DVD.
On November 11, 2011, the original Black Sabbath lineup announced their reunion for a world tour and new album.
In the 2011 documentary God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, Ozzy stated that The Beatles made him realise that he was going to be a rock star for the rest of his life.
On May 21, 2012, Black Sabbath played their first concert since their reunion in Birmingham.
On May 15, 2013, Ozzy Osbourne and the members of Black Sabbath appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation titled "Skin in the Game".
On June 11, 2013, Black Sabbath released their album 13, which topped the charts in the UK and US.
On his 65th birthday on December 3, 2013, Ozzy Osbourne asked fans to celebrate his birthday by donating to the Royal Marsden cancer charity in London.
In 2013, Osbourne helped record Black Sabbath's final studio album, titled '13'.
In October 2014, Ozzy Osbourne released Memoirs of a Madman, a collection celebrating his entire solo career. The CD version featured 17 singles, and the DVD included music videos, live performances, and interviews.
In May 2015, Ozzy Osbourne received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors at a ceremony in London.
In August 2015, Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone confirmed that Ozzy Osbourne was working on a new studio album.
In January 2016, Black Sabbath began their farewell tour, titled "The End."
On July 24, 2016, The History Channel premiered a comedy reality television series starring Ozzy Osbourne and his son Jack Osbourne, named Ozzy & Jack's World Detour.
In 2016, Ozzy Osbourne had a tram named after him in his home city of Birmingham.
On February 2 and 4, 2017, Black Sabbath performed the final shows of The End tour in Birmingham, with Tommy Clufetos on drums.
In April 2017, it was announced that guitarist Zakk Wylde would reunite with Ozzy Osbourne for a summer tour to mark the 30th anniversary of their collaboration on the album No Rest for the Wicked.
In August 2017, the rock-themed online casino Metal Casino was founded by metal music fans.
In November 2017, Ozzy Osbourne appeared in an episode of Gogglebox and became an ambassador of Metal Casino.
On November 6, 2017, Ozzy Osbourne was announced as the headline act for the Sunday of the 2018 Download Festival.
In 2017, Black Sabbath's farewell tour concluded with a performance in their native Birmingham, marking the end of an era.
On February 6, 2018, Ozzy Osbourne announced his final world tour, No More Tours II, with support from Stone Sour.
In 2018, Ozzy Osbourne headlined the Download Festival.
By February 12, 2019, Ozzy Osbourne had been moved to intensive care. He later cancelled the tour entirely, and ultimately all shows scheduled for 2019, after sustaining serious injuries from a fall in his Los Angeles home while still recovering from pneumonia. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in February 2019.
In February 2019, Ozzy Osbourne's merchandising partner announced that he would have his own branded online slots game as part of the NetEnt Rocks music-themed portfolio.
On February 6, 2019, Ozzy Osbourne was hospitalized due to flu complications, leading to the postponement of the European leg of his "No More Tours II" tour. He suffered from a severe upper-respiratory infection following a bout with the flu, which his doctor feared could develop into pneumonia.
In September 2019, Ozzy Osbourne announced that he had finished his album in four weeks after collaborating with Post Malone.
In September 2019, Ozzy Osbourne was featured on the song "Take What You Want" by Post Malone, which reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
In February 2020, Ozzy Osbourne cancelled the 2020 North American tour, seeking treatment in Switzerland until April.
On February 21, 2020, Ozzy Osbourne released his album Ordinary Man, which debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Soon after, he expressed interest in creating another album with Andrew Watt.
In April 2021, Ozzy Osbourne was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame for his various appearances.
In November 2021, Sony announced that Ozzy Osbourne's new album would be released within six months, with Zakk Wylde fully involved after his absence on Ordinary Man.
On June 24, 2022, Ozzy Osbourne announced his thirteenth album would be titled Patient Number 9 and released the title track along with a music video.
On August 8, 2022, Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi made a surprise appearance during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. This marked Osbourne's first live performance in three years.
On September 9, 2022, Ozzy Osbourne released his album Patient Number 9.
In January 2023, Ozzy Osbourne announced the cancellation of the European leg of his No More Tours II tour, citing spinal damage from an accident in 2019. This effectively marked his retirement from large-scale touring.
In September 2023, Ozzy Osbourne revealed he was working on a new album planned for release in 2024 and preparing to return to the road after successful spinal surgery earlier that month.
In 2024, Ozzy Osbourne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo career.
In September 2023, Ozzy Osbourne revealed that he was working on a new album planned for release in 2024.
On February 5, 2025, Ozzy Osbourne announced his final show alongside Black Sabbath, a charity event at Villa Park in Birmingham scheduled for July 5.
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