Ozzy Osbourne

John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne (born December 3, 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and TV personality often known as “The Godfather of Heavy Metal.” He gained fame in the early 1970s as the lead singer of the band Black Sabbath, whose music heavily influenced the heavy metal genre.

Ozzy was dismissed from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his substance issues but stated, “I was no more messed up than the rest of them. It was nonsense.” Despite his subsequent depression and ongoing substance challenges, Sabbath's manager along with his daughter, Sharon Ardon (later Sharon Osbourne), swiftly assisted Ozzy in starting a solo career, considered one of the most unexpected comebacks and most prosperous ventures in rock history.

His first solo albums, featuring former Quiet Riot guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads, quickly secured Ozzy a level of accomplishment similar to that with Black Sabbath. These albums are still celebrated for having "helped redefine heavy metal." After Rhoads died in a 1982 plane accident, Ozzy was shattered and contemplated leaving music, but Sharon urged him to carry on.

Jake E Lee took over for Rhoads for 1983's Bark At The Moon and 1986's The Ultimate Sin. The former gave Ozzy his first two UK top 30 hits and the latter produced his first minor US pop crossover hit with "Shot In The Dark." In 1987, Zakk Wylde, inspired by Rhoads to play guitar, replaced Lee.

Half a year after 1988's No Rest for the Wicked, Ozzy's duet with Lita Ford "Close My Eyes Forever" reached the US top 10 and was also successful in several countries abroad. 1991's No More Tears gave Ozzy another international hit with "Mama, I’m Coming Home," his second US top 40 hit. Citing exhaustion, his tour for the album (called No More Tours) was intended to be his last.

Ozzmosis came out in 1995, becoming his seventh consecutive studio album (and last) to be certified multi-platinum, followed by The Retirement Sucks Tour. The subsequent year, Ozzy and Sharon introduced Ozzfest, a metal band concert that expanded from a two-day event into an annual international touring festival for over ten years, often featuring Ozzy or a reformed Black Sabbath as the main headliner.

There was a six year gap until Ozzy’s next studio album Down to Earth appeared in 2001, which led to a UK top 20 with the double A-side "Dreamer"/"Gets Me Through." During the global boom of reality TV, MTV premiered The Osbournes for four seasons starting in 2002, offering a look into the home life of Ozzy, Sharon, and their two youngest children, though the show included some scripted plots.

In 2003, after his daughter Kelly’s first album was considered a flop, it was re-released with a cover of Black Sabbath’s "Changes" featuring Kelly and Ozzy, which topped the UK Pop Chart. A covers collection without Wylde (featuring Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell) came out in 2005.

Black Rain marked Wylde's return in 2007 and gave Ozzy his first US Rock Chart #1 with "I Don’t Wanna Stop" (also a minor US pop crossover hit). A year after releasing his autobiography I Am Ozzy, the album Scream was released in 2010, giving him his second US Rock Chart #1 with "Let Me Hear You Scream." Ozzy reunited with Black Sabbath in 2011, releasing the chart-topping album 13 in the UK and US in 2013. Their touring together concluded in 2017.

In 2018, Ozzy announced yet another ‘final tour’ - the No More Tours 2 Tour - but by April 2019, he had to postpone his remaining shows. He later revealed he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and would need neck surgery. That same year, "Take What You Want," a collaboration with Post Malone and Travis Scott, became his third US top 40 hit. While promoting Ordinary Man in early 2020, Ozzy planned to resume the tour in May, but canceled it to continue recovery. The tour was rescheduled for late 2020, but was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ozzy explained to Rolling Stone why he intends to keep performing after his 'final tour' concludes: “I’m no good at anything else. I literally can’t do anything else.”