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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Toronto musicians pay tribute to Black Sabbath frontman and 'lord of metal' Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne, legendary frontman of the rock band Black Sabbath, "opened doors" for people who wanted to play heavy metal, Toronto musicians said following news of his death. Osbourne died Tuesday morning at the age of 76, his family said in a statement. No cause of death has been provided, but Osbourne disclosed five years ago that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. His death comes more than two weeks after his final show on July 5 in Birmingham, U.K., where he performed while sitting on a throne. He and the original members of Black Sabbath reunited for the concert in front of about 42,000 fans. Members of tribute bands and experts on rock music in Toronto said Osbourne had a major impact on music. Jaye Schwarzer, bass guitarist for the Toronto-based punk rock band Cancer Bats said Osbourne had a "distinct and unique" voice that wasn't found in pop music when he came onto the scene, which made him stand out. "He's the lord of metal. He's the prince of darkness. He made it cool to not conform," Schwarzer said on Tuesday. WATCH | Ozzy Osbourne performs in Birmingham: 'A different approach to music' Cancer Bats, using the name Bat Sabbath, have performed as a Black Sabbath tribute band. Schwarzer said it was special to see Black Sabbath twice. Schwarzer said when Black Sabbath was becoming known, pop bands such as the Bee Gees were big. "Nobody sounded dark and evil like they did," he said. "And so, it just opened doors for people with a different approach to music to say, you can do this." Osbourne rose to prominence in the late 1960s with Black Sabbath, becoming known as the father of heavy metal. In the 1980s, he launched a successful solo career. He became infamous for biting the head off a bat on stage and for his drug-fuelled lifestyle. He later reinvented himself as a lovable, but foul-mouthed, reality TV star with his family. 'He championed heavy metal for the masses' Roland Murray, a guitar player for The Ozzy Experience, an Ozzy Osbourne Black Sabbath tribute band based in Toronto, said he was "devastated" to hear that Osbourne had died. "He championed heavy metal for the masses," Murray said. "Rest in peace, Ozzy. I'm going to miss you. People around the world are going to miss you." 'The metal equivalent of Elvis Presley dying' Alan Cross, host of The Ongoing History of New Music, a music history documentary radio program in Canada produced by Corus Entertainment, said Osbourne's legacy cannot be underestimated and his impact on the music industry is undeniable. "This is the metal equivalent of Elvis Presley dying. This is how big a deal it was. Ozzy was this character who has been with us since 1969. He survived a billion things that would have killed anybody else. In the meantime, he and Black Sabbath helped invent a brand new style of music known as heavy metal," Cross said. "That style of music has influenced countless bands over the last 50 years. And Ozzy himself became a star, a solo star, with a sound of his own in the 1980s, 1990s. And then he became this TV star, and really, if you want to look at it, a pioneer of reality television," he added. "One of the things about Ozzy is, no matter where he went, he was adored and people loved him." Osbourne is survived by wife and manager Sharon; five children, including Jack, Kelly and Aimee; and several grandchildren.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Ozzy Started With Style, and Built From There
His journey from small-time criminal to heavy metal's comic Prince of Darkness started with clothes. Growing up in Birmingham, England, Ozzy Osbourne didn't see much of a future for himself, so he decided to give it a go as a cat burglar. His main target, according to his 2009 memoir, 'I Am Ozzy,' was a clothing shop not far from home. On his third attempt, he recalled, 'I managed to nick some shirts.' But he was arrested soon afterward and sent to Winson Green Prison, a century-old facility that looked like a medieval fortress. His six-week jail stint caused him to reconsider his plan to become a career criminal. He took jobs in an auto parts factory and a slaughterhouse. Inspired by the Beatles, he wanted more than anything to join a rock 'n' roll band. The first step he took toward this unrealistic-seeming goal was to change his appearance: 'I didn't even know anyone who could play a musical instrument,' he recalled. 'So, instead, I decided to grow my hair long and get some tattoos. At least I'd look the part.' He was the same age as many of the young people who wore bright, flowing garments during the so-called Summer of Love, but he detested flower power. When he finally joined up with some old schoolmates to form Black Sabbath, he made his way toward a style that represented a dramatic departure from the cheerful hues favored by the tie-dye crowd. The hippies liked soft fabrics that reflected an innocent view of a world, where peace and love would win out in the end. Ozzy favored capes and heavy boots. He had gone to jail, not college. It took him a while to find a style that worked, especially before the money rolled in. 'I'd walk around in an old pyjama top for a shirt with a hot-water tap on a piece of string for a necklace,' he wrote in his memoir, adding: 'You had to use your imagination. And I never wore shoes — not even in winter. People would ask me where I got my 'fashion inspiration' from and I'd tell them: 'By being a dirty broke bastard and never taking a bath.'' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Ozzy Osbourne's legendary final performance raised a staggering $190M for worthy causes
Ozzy Osbourne's final concert earlier this month raised around $190 million for several charities, according to multiple news outlets. The rocker, who died Tuesday after battling a number of health issues, performed his final concert, "Back to the Beginning," July 5. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, the event's musical director, wrote on social media of the concert, "'Back to the Beginning' More than 190 million dollars will be donated to houses and hospitales [sic] for children. Boom. We set out to not just create the greatest day in the history of heavy metal," according to The Independent. The proceeds will go to Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice. "THANKYOU @ozzyosbourne for trusting me to be the Musical Director of the 'Back To The Beginning' show," he wrote on Instagram. "It was over a year of hard work but heavy metal was the music that made me love music and it was a labor of love. We raised a ton of money for a great cause and so many great musicians & bands & fans all over the world paid tribute to the ALL TIME greats." Osbourne told The Independent in 2022, "I will get back on stage if it f----- kills me, because if I can't do it then that's what's gonna happen anyway, I'm gonna f------ die. I love to see them audiences." The charity concert was the highest-grossing of all time, according to Billboard. Osbourne played with Black Sabbath during the Birmingham, U.K., and bands like Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon and Gojira also performed. The concert lasted around 10 hours and culminated with Osbourne singing with the original lineup of Black Sabbath while seated on a throne. Osbourne struggled with his health in the last few years of his life and was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2003. The Black Sabbath frontman admitted he couldn't walk anymore on a Jan. 29 episode of his Sirius XM show, "Ozzy Speaks." "I may be moaning about how I can't walk, but I look down the road, and there's people that didn't do half as much as me, and they didn't make it," he said at the time. In 2003, Osbourne was in a serious ATV accident when his quad flipped onto him while he was riding around his London estate. In 2022, the "Mama I'm Coming Home" singer underwent surgery to remove and realign pins in his neck and back. Ozzy's back problems likely stemmed from the all-terrain vehicle collision. At the time, he underwent emergency surgery for "a broken collarbone (and) eight fractured ribs that were pinching crucial blood vessels and damaged vertebrae in his neck." "I'm just waiting on some more surgery on my neck," he told Classic Rock magazine in May 2022. "I can't walk properly these days. I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road." Fox News Digital has reached out to reps for Osbourne and Morello for comment.
