Ozzy Osbourne, Pioneering Heavy Metal Singer And Black Sabbath Frontman, Dies At 76

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Still, nan critics were not benignant astatine first. Black Sabbath was dismissed by immoderate arsenic “Satanic claptrap” and worse.

"The worst of nan counterculture connected a integrative platter," Robert Christgau, nan "Dean of American Rock Critics," wrote.

But arsenic nan 1960s gave measurement to nan 1970s, a caller procreation of fans embraced Black Sabbath's acheronian lyrics and sludgy sound, a caller style of stone euphony that would go known arsenic dense metal.

“The people of a awesome stone set is that X-factor that sets them isolated from different bands,” Bruce Barber, a erstwhile power jock who teaches astatine nan University of New Haven. “Ozzy had that X-factor. And for galore young people, Black Sabbath’s music, which emerged successful nan precocious 1960s and early 1970s arsenic nan Vietnam War was raging, said to nan issues of that time.”

Mark Tavern, a euphony professor astatine nan University of New Haven, said Osbourne's unique sound had a batch to do pinch Black Sabbath's success.

"His throaty delivery, reminiscent of old-time blues shouters, brings an unkempt directness to nan genre, a literal devil-may-care attack to singing that allowed blues-based stone to morph into metal," Tavern said. "At nan aforesaid time, his raw, shrieking wail fresh pinch nan band’s guitar-driven attack and meshed pinch nan acheronian sounds and emotions that fans were looking to link with."

“Technically speaking, he was a earthy tenor pinch a bully scope and a powerful, focused voice,” Katherine Dacey, a professor astatine nan Berklee College of Music, said earlier Osbourne’s decease was announced. “That explanation doesn’t really do justness to his instrumentality aliases artistry, though, arsenic he had 1 of those uncommon voices that’s instantly recognizable.”

Meanwhile, Osbourne embraced nan sex, narcotics and stone n' rotation manner pinch a gusto that drew comparisons to different world-class partier, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, and alarmed his bandmates.

Osbourne's uncanny expertise to devour prodigious amounts of cocaine and liquor — and not dice — would later lead scientists successful 2011 to reason that he was a "genetic mutant" whose assemblage possessed a unsocial expertise to sorb recreational drugs.

“I’ve ever said that astatine nan extremity of nan world location will beryllium roaches, Ozzy and Keith Richards," Sharon Osbourne said astatine nan time.

But, as Iommi admitted to The Guardian years later, Osbourne was retired of power during his past years pinch Black Sabbath. After a drawstring of disappointing albums, Osbourne was fired successful 1979 and replaced by Ronnie James Dio.

Getting canned, however, didn’t extremity Osbourne’s career. Enter Sharon Levy, nan girl of Don Arden, nan man who managed Black Sabbath.

Arden had pushed for Osbourne to beryllium fired. But Sharon made rescuing Osbourne her mission, becoming his manager, person and, eventually, his wife.

Under her guidance, Osbourne released a 1980 solo debut, “Blizzard of Ozz,” which went multiplatinum and produced nan deed opus "Crazy Train." He followed up a twelvemonth later pinch different immense hit, “Diary of a Madman,” backed by a talented set of musicians, including a guitar wunderkind named Randy Rhoads.

During nan circuit for nan album, Rhoads and 2 different members of nan entourage died successful a level clang aft nan aviator reportedly tried to “buzz” nan autobus connected which Osbourne was sleeping.

Sharon Osbourne besides helped her hubby get Ozzfest disconnected nan ground, a wildly celebrated euphony show that toured betwixt 1996 and 2018, often headlined by Osbourne, that featured different established and fledgling dense metallic and difficult stone acts.

Despite each his success, Osbourne — successful nan eyes of galore successful nan nationalist — continued to beryllium nan madman who outraged animal authorities groups successful 1982 by biting nan caput disconnected a unrecorded bat during a performance successful Des Moines, Iowa.

“I thought it was a rubber bat,” Osbourne said astatine nan time. “I picked it up, put it successful my mouth, crunched down, spot into it, being nan comedian that I am.”

That aforesaid year, Osbourne infuriated nan authorities of Texas by urinating connected nan Alamo, a stunt that sewage him arrested.

There besides was nan clip Osbourne reportedly snorted unrecorded ants alternatively of cocaine connected a whim successful a bizarre title with his band’s opening act, Mötley Crüe.

“We were a chaotic young band, and he benignant of took america nether his wing,” Crüe’s Nikki Sixx told nan New York Post. “We thought we could compete pinch that, but you can’t pinch Ozzy. He won.”

Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne Ozzy Osbourne,Kelly Osbourne.

By nan extremity of nan ‘90s, Osbourne's fame was fading. So successful 2002, Sharon Osbourne rebooted her husband’s profession yet again — connected nan cablegram TV transmission that had helped him go a solo star.

“The Osbournes,” nan MTV reality show that followed nan aging rocker and his family’s improbable domesticity won him a caller audience.

“The show introduced him to a full different group of group who had heard of him and vaguely knew his euphony but really sewage to cognize him done that show,” said Robert Thompson, nan head of nan Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture astatine Syracuse University.

It besides made Osbourne an improbable TV prima and led to invitations to meet nan likes of President George W. Bush and execute astatine Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee successful 2002. He, of course, played "Paranoid."

Barber said he interviewed nan Osbournes astir that time. He said he arrived astatine what was past called nan Parker Meridien Hotel successful Manhattan expecting to find them "in a trashed room."

"Instead, location he was pinch Sharon dressed successful matching Parker Meridian bathrobes," Barber said. "They were benignant and polite. And I was struck by nan juxtaposition betwixt nan 'Prince of Darkness' Ozzy that we each heard astir and nan Ozzy sipping beverage pinch Sharon."

Osbourne continued to stone and rotation — moreover reuniting pinch nan original Black Sabbath lineup (minus Ward) for respective lucrative tours and nan band’s only No. 1 medium successful nan U.S., “13,” which was released successful 2013.

Twelve-years later came connection that Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward were reuniting for nan first clip successful 20 years for a last performance successful July 2025. The show sold retired almost instantly aft nan container agency opened.

Hultsfred euphony festival, Hultsfred, Sweden - 23 Jun 2007

By then, Osbourne had garnered what he had been denied erstwhile he first started retired — respect from euphony critics and different naysayers who underestimated him and Black Sabbath.

“In his earlier days, he was ne'er going to beryllium considered 1 of nan awesome vocalists of each time, but his sound surely fresh nan euphony he made,” dense metallic historiographer Eddie Trunk said. “He had his moments arsenic a singer, but his biggest bequest is arsenic a tremendous character, a tremendous entertainer, and a very likable — and sellable — figure.”

Osbourne is survived by his wife, Sharon, and six children — Jessica, Louis and Elliot from his first matrimony to Thelma Riley, and Aimee, Kelly and Jack from his 2nd marriage. He besides leaves down rather nan fable — onstage and off.

In 2002, Osbourne told Rolling Stone magazine that he would for illustration his my epitaph to publication “just ‘Ozzy Osbourne, calved 1948, died so-and-so'."

“I’ve done a batch for a elemental working-class guy," Osbourne said. "I made a batch of group smile. I’ve besides made a batch of group go, ‘Who nan f--- does this feline deliberation he is?’ I guarantee that if I was to dice tonight, tomorrow it would be, ‘Ozzy Osbourne, nan man who spot nan caput disconnected a bat, died successful his edifice room ... .’ I cognize that’s coming.

“But I’ve sewage nary complaints. At slightest I’ll beryllium remembered.”

Ethan Sacks

Ethan Sacks writes for NBCNews.com.