Ozzy Osbourne's most shocking moments
Drug and alcohol use often fuelled manic behaviour in front of his adoring audiences, and also his most crazed moments in between shows.
These are some of the most memorable and infamous moments from the hell-raising life of the late heavy metal pioneer.
The Alamo
In 1982, Osbourne was wearing one of his wife's dresses for a photoshoot close to The Alamo in Texas, the site of a heroic sacrifice by the Texan troops against the invading Mexicans.
The rock star drunkenly relieved himself on a cenotaph commemorating the dead, later donating thousands to the group which maintains The Alamo.
In the midst of an alcohol and drug haze, Osbourne said that he set about slaughtering 17 cats with a shotgun.
The rocker said he was found by his wife under a piano, armed with a knife in one hand and a shotgun in the other.
Ants
Osbourne toured with Motley Crue in the 1980s, and it was during this time that he is rumoured to have shocked his fellow rockers after 'spotting' a line of ants.
Bassist Nikki Sixx claimed that Osbourne took a straw and, as if snorting cocaine, hoovered the line of ants up his nose.
Bats
In 1982, Osbourne was on stage at a gig in Des Moines, Iowa, during a US tour.
A fan threw a bat on stage, and in the frenzy of performance Osbourne – believing it to be rubber – bit its head off. There remains debate as to whether the bat was alive or dead when it was thrown on stage.
Doves
Osbourne had history with the decapitation of winged creatures, beginning with an incident which stunned CBS Records executives.
Celebrating a new album in 1981, the Black Country-born rock star was intending to release two doves in a symbolic act at the record label. Instead, he grabbed a dove and bit its head off, before being thrown out of the building.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Kelly Osbourne pays sweet tribute to late father Ozzy in heartfelt video as she shares 'best moment ever' following his death aged 76
Kelly Osbourne has paid a moving tribute to her father Ozzy who died just four days ago. The Black Sabbath singer nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, died on Tuesday at the age of 76, just weeks after he took to the stage for his final show with his band. And over the last few days, the rock legend's daughter has been posting a number of heartfelt videos as a way to remember her father, who she has since described as her 'best friend'. One included the British singer and media personality sat around the kitchen table with his family in his final days before his death, and in another, the poignant lyrics to Black Sabbath's 'Changes' - a hit Kelly and Ozzy released their own version of together in 2003. On Saturday, Kelly uploaded a super sweet video of the two of them which saw a very touching father-daughter moment, as they danced and sang together in the car. The clip, taken from the 2018 series of Ozzy & Jack's World Detour, saw Kelly behind the wheel of a huge HGV vehicle which was their mode of transport for the trip. As Ozzy, who was dressed very smartly in a navy blazer, black T-shirt, trilby hat and sunglasses stepped into the vehicle, Kelly said: 'I've got this song in my head, I'm gonna have to play it for you.' With George Ezra's 'Paradise' blaring out of the speakers, Kelly begins to sing along, with Ozzy looking bemused as he hears the hit for the first time. However as the chorus comes on, Ozzy cracks a smile and the pair start dancing in their seats, moving their arms and about and shaking their shoulders. Modelling some black nail polish like a pro, Ozzy can be seen moving his hands from side to side and pointing to the sky as the song continues. As Kelly drives off to start their journey, she can be heard saying: 'I love you' with Ozzy replying 'I love you more.' On Wednesday, MailOnline revealed that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne's multi-million-pound country home as paramedics battled to save his life. The Thames Valley air ambulance landed in a field close to Welders House, the singer's Grade II listed mansion on Tuesday morning at around 10.30am. It's believed that calls from Welders House had led call handlers to believe that the Black Sabbath singer's life was in the balance. Modelling some black nail polish like a pro, Ozzy cracks a smile and starts moving his arms and about and shaking his shoulders as he hears the upbeat tune for the first time A chopper was dispatched from Thames Valley ambulance base at RAF Benson in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, some 27 miles from the mansion which is located close to the village of Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire. The crew were airborne for around 15 minutes before landing in the grounds of the mansion and were then with Ozzy for around two hours, trying but failing to save his life, it's understood. Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15. After serving two months in prison for burglary, he decided to pursue his love of music and by 1970 Black Sabbath had gained a huge following in the US and UK with the release of their first album. Ozzy quit the band in 1978 and divorced his first wife Thelma Mayfair, who he had two children with, four years later, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems. He went on to marry second wife Sharon Osbourne, who helped him transform into a successful solo artist and the couple had three children together. Ozzy gained a whole new audience of fans with the family's reality TV show The Osbournes in 2001. He is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children, Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack. The final photograph of him before his death was taken on stage as he sat on a black throne aptly decorated with a bat to perform his best-known hits for his loyal fans The statement announcing Ozzy's death was signed by four of his children, and it remains a mystery why his two other children, Jessica and Elliot, were snubbed from the family tribute. It is unclear if they will release their own public statements, as both remain largely out of the spotlight. Jessica was the one who made Ozzy a grandparent for the first time, and despite never appearing in The Osbournes' TV show, she was mentioned in the episode ' Smells Like Teen Spirits,' when Ozzy learned that she had welcomed a daughter. Jessica has two daughters, Isabelle and Kitty, and one son called Harry. Meanwhile, not much is known about Elliot Kingsley as he tends to keep out of the spotlight with no public social media accounts. He now lives in Wellington, New Zealand with his wife Joanne Crawford, who is originally from Scotland, where the couple lived before jetting abroad. Ozzy took to the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park Stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death. The rocker reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005 to bid an emotional farewell to his decades of performing live on stage. After selling out in minutes, over 42,000 fans packed into Villa Park for the aptly-titled Back to the Beginning show, which saw Ozzy and Black Sabbath return to their hometown - 56 years after they formed there. The final photograph of him before his death was taken on stage as he sat on a black throne aptly decorated with a bat to perform his best-known hits for his loyal fans. His final words on stage were: 'It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.' A message on screen then read: 'Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,' before the sky lit up with fireworks.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'Ozzy was the saviour of weirdos and rebels'
Hundreds of Black Sabbath fans gathered in Birmingham city centre to pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. The memorial meet-up was held in the city's Victoria Square, before fans went to visit shrines across the Ash Farley, from Bartley Green, said he had set up the event to celebrate "being part of Birmingham and the metal community", as well as the singer's life. People had come from "far and wide," he said, "obviously because he's a worldwide icon". 'Dreams can come true' The response to the event had been "astronomical", he added, with about 300 fans turning out. "[Ozzy] was the forefather of metal and a voice of rebellion for the outsiders," he said. "And he showed you can make dreams come true, and changed people's lives." 'Brought up on Ozzy' One of those attending the meet, Abbigail Moore, said the artist had meant a lot to her growing up. "My mum and dad brought me up on him and just made me a metal head," she explained. "He gave me a lot of courage to just be who I am and not be afraid of what people say about me."She described the singer, who died on Tuesday, as "a man of the people". "He built an entire empire, created metal, and gave people that didn't have a platform, a platform to stand up for themselves," she said. "He gave me a lot of courage to just be who I am and not be afraid of what people say about me." 'Weirdos, rebels and mischiefs' Also coming into the city centre was Birmingham resident Kieran Merriman, who described the meet as a "celebration of the man that helped me realise who I am and make me feel welcome". He said: "Ozzy and Black Sabbath created this genre of music so that weirdos, rebels and mischiefs alike can all have this place to come together and be themselves. It was an opportunity to celebrate the city as well as the artists, he added. "It's so heart-warming to just be a part of that city that gave birth to metal." 'He's always going to be there' Brooke Moore, who also attended the event, said Ozzy had "given me the courage to do a lot of things that I wouldn't have been able to do if I didn't have this kind of scene around me.""I was really sad when he died," she said. "He's proved to a lot of people that if you come from nothing you can still make something of yourself." Tina Angell, who has been a fan since the age of 15, travelled from Southampton for the event. She said: "He's been with me for all of my life; he's helped me for every day of my life - through the ups and through the downs."I can't think of anything other than when I have been down his music's on full blast and he keeps me going, and keeps me sane. "I feel like every song he's made, he made for me." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Sharon Osbourne's tireless act of love for Ozzy that saved his finale concert
The Black Sabbath star's wife pulled out all the stops to get him on stage, say insiders Ozzy Osbourne's final performance in his home city almost never happened. The rock legend was warned that insurers would not cover the show if he pursued his dream of standing to say goodbye to his devoted fans, we can reveal. But Ozzy 's determined wife Sharon waged a secret battle with the insurance agents – and overcame any potential issues by seating the Black Sabbath frontman in a throne for his five solo tracks and four Sabbath tunes. Ozzy, who died on Tuesday at the age of 76, just two weeks after the show, had vowed to 'get back on that stage no matter what'. However, an LA promoter said the superstar was effectively banned from any on stage movement during the charity show by insurance firms. It prompted concerns that the Back To The Beginning gig, at Villa Park in Birmingham, would be axed. Ozzy had spent over a year working with physios, trainers and specialists to be able to put on a show for fans after his health battles. Our insider said: 'It is heartbreaking to think about the stress that Ozzy and Sharon went through in those last few weeks. Ozzy had worked his a** off to get himself to a place where he could at least stand up and wave to fans. But for shows of that magnitude, if the artists do not meet the insurers' satisfaction of risk liability then the show doesn't go ahead. 'With the Parkinson's and the walking issues, no insurance agent would agree to let Oz stand. So to overcome that, and not have a huge insurance premium on the charity show, they secured a deal to have him safely locked in his throne. It was a brilliant compromise. It really speaks so much to Sharon's drive and focus to get it all pulled off, because of the liability issues. She was a miracle worker.' Ozzy had spoken of being in heavy duty training sessions three times daily to 'be ready to play'. He even said a personal trainer moved into his home. Ozzy was last seen walking slowly inside and outside of the Comic Con Midlands at Birmingham's NEC. He had a walking stick but moved slowly unaided as wife Sharon and son Jack were seen by members of the public with him a week before his death. Sabbath band mate Tommy Iommi touched on the last minute stresses and technical challenges during an interview with Sirius XM after BTTB. He revealed that Ozzy's performance was uncertain even with days to go before the show. Tommy, 77, admitted: 'It was making it up as we went on really. It was really a case of how long Ozzy could do it really. Because we didn't know with him doing his own set, which I said to him, I didn't think he should do because I didn't want him to get burned out by the time he'd come with us. But he didn't and he did his own set. We ended up doing four songs but we had put aside sort of six or seven. But it worked out that we did four, so that was fine." Ozzy's family announced he had died in statement on Tuesday which shocked the music world. The statement said: "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis." In his final days, cameras had been following Ozzy for BBC series, Home To Roost. It is now expected to be released in memory of the star.
