Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne dies at the age of 76
TONY MOTT, PHOTOGRAPHER: As soon as you put the camera on him, he lit up. He lit up in front of you. He did all that and all the metal, and it was all good. He had Ozzy tattooed on his knuckles. It was easy to get a portrait.
MICHAEL ROWLAND: Things became even more cordial when the pair emerged into the light.
TONY MOTT: We went outside, and I got shots of him on Sydney Harbour and I just come, a couple of years earlier, I toured with Paul McCartney and he was aware of that and he's a massive Beatles fan, and we spent 20, 30 minutes just discussing Paul McCartney and The Beatles.
I can't emphasise what a lovely guy he was. He was really, really, really, really polite, very obliging, and he was Ozzy, a dead set legend.
MICHAEL ROWLAND: Ozzy Osborne was also a dead set musical innovator. Black Sabbath burst on to the scene with their self-titled debut album in 1970 and the music world was never the same.
PAUL CASHMERE, MUSIC JOURNALIST: And that first Black Sabbath album when it came out it was groundbreaking. That set the pattern for then what became hard rock music for decades after that.
MICHAEL ROWLAND: Black Sabbath pioneered heavy metal music. Sure, there were the angry guitar riffs and foreboding beat but there was something about the band's frontman. A Black Sabbath concert was as much about the bone shaking music as it was Ozzy Osborne's outrageous stage antics.
He paced, he growled. He was fond of throwing raw meat into the audience. And, of course, there was the bat.
OZZY OSBOURNE: All I did was go out there and make a mistake of biting the head off a bat and I tell you what guys it ain't fun when you get them rabies shots.
TONY MOTT: He was a born performer. It's performance. It wasn't just singing. Yeah, he was fantastic. It's really difficult to put into words because the best way to describe Ozzy Osborne is he's Ozzy bloody Osborne. That's who he is
MICHAEL ROWLAND: Born John Michael Osborne in Birmingham in 1948, the future rock idol had a troubled childhood. He was sexually abused when he was 11 and spent time in jail for burglary offences.
His demons spilled into his adult life and after Black Sabbath took off, so too did Osborne's drug and alcohol addictions.
By 1979, Ozzy's erratic behaviour became too much for even his heavy metal bandmates, and he was sacked from the group.
But there were two sides to this rock and roll beast.
PAUL CASHMERE: But all of that legendary wild man image that Ozzy had, you had to then look at his family life and the loving father, the great husband. He was just marvellous to his kids. And when you have a look at the two sides of Ozzy, yes, he was the madman on stage, but when he came off stage, he was the average Birmingham bloke.
MICHAEL ROWLAND: Ozzy Osborne's marriage to wife Sharon wasn't without its dark periods. In 1989, Osborne was arrested for attempting to murder Sharon while drunk.
SHARON OSBORNE: He just said we've come to a decision that you've got to die, and then just suddenly he lunged across at me.
MICHAEL ROWLAND: But the relationship endured, and in 2002 the singer's family life became the subject of a hit reality TV show.
(Extract from The Osbornes)
PAUL CASHMERE: Oh, look, the fact that we could see on a day-by-day basis how a rock star lived, it was just eye opening.
MICHAEL ROWLAND: In later years and after a long period of sobriety, Osbourne admitted he had been drinking and taking drugs again.
In 2020, he announced he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Along with the many tributes today from music industry giants, were these deeply personal messages from Ozzy's Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler who were there with the singer in Birmingham when it all began more than 35 years ago.
And it was somewhat fitting Black Sabbath returned to Birmingham earlier this month to play what turned out to be Ozzy Osborne's final gig.
VOX POP: He's had such an amazing career and he's clearly such a funny guy, he's enjoying it and it's fantastic.
VOX POP 2: A little bit emotional actually.
VOX POP 3: Yeah it's the end of an era.
VOX POP 4: I have endless love for Ozzy and I sobbed the whole way through.
PAUL CASHMERE: What a fantastic way to end. It was only four songs, but Ozzy also opened the show with a five-song solo set, and it was the swan song. No one was expecting what we heard today, but what a way to go out.
TONY MOTT: If you're doing the top 30 of all time influential artists, et cetera, et cetera, Ozzy's in there. He wasn't the greatest singer by a long shot, but his voice was perfect for what Black Sabbath were, but yet he's up there amongst them without a doubt, and from a heavy metal point of view, it could be easy argued, he's number one.
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20 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
'Just so surreal': the moment this Aussie was asked to tour with Ozzy
"Do you want to go on tour with Ozzy Osbourne?" It is a phone call Chris Rand is still shocked he received, even though it happened 27 years ago. Back then, in 1998, the singer and bass player for metal band Segression was busy working as a tattoo artist in Wollongong, and his wife Karen was heavily pregnant with the couple's first child. But, one phone call from Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne changed everything. "We had a tattoo shop in Corrimal at the time, and the phone rang, and it was actually Sharon Osbourne, wanting to speak to my mum because my mum managed the band," Chris recalls. "I was personally invited from Sharon and Ozzy." Segression had already toured with US metal bands Machine Head and Fear Factory, and those bands, who were friends with Ozzy, recommended Segression to him as a support act. But, with Karen pregnant, Chris worried he'd miss the birth of his first child. So, after much discussion, she was induced and had baby Kiara five days before the tour started. Chris is among a legion of fans and music industry insiders who are reeling after the death of Ozzy Osbourne on July 23 following a battle with Parkinson's disease. It was just weeks after the 76-year-old performed with metal pioneers Black Sabbath for the last time at a star-studded charity benefit show titled Back to the Beginning in the United Kingdom. "I've got shivers, I've got tears, I've got everything this morning. He was probably one of the nicest people I've ever met," Chris said through tears. "I'm devastated, absolutely devastated. I've never really felt much with a celebrity death before, but because of the personal connection that I had with him ... because I toured with him and met him and knew him as a person briefly, it really hit hard, to be honest." At Segression's first gig on that tour back in 1998, the pressure on them was enormous as they hit the stage before Ozzy, who was known as the Prince of Darkness. People have "paid a lot of money to go and see Ozzy Osbourne" and back then crowds were well known to "give a little bit of curry" to support bands. "I walked out on stage and it was, I wouldn't say completely hostile, but it was certainly not warm," Chris remembers. "I walked up to the microphone and before the band started, I got them to light up the crowd and I said, 'I know that everyone's here to see Ozzy, but we're a young Australian band that's been given an opportunity, so we think it's appropriate to start our set showing Ozzy Osboune what Australia is like. So, Aussie Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi,' and then we're into it. "The crowd, they turned completely on its head, and we had an amazing tour ... it was just so surreal." During another moment on tour, Ozzy was chatting to one of Segression's roadies who had a "full body suit of tattoos". "Ozzy was just so fascinated. He said, 'Can I see you without your shirt on again?'. He took his shirt off and he said, 'it's like a road map to your life'," Chris said. "And then, funnily enough, just after that tour, Ozzy went back home and got his arms tattooed, full sleeves." The tour and getting to meet Ozzy were so significant in Chris' life that he still holds dear the backstage pass he wore each night during the tour. "My Dad [Dave] was a massive Black Sabbath fan, so it's like one of my life's proudest moments when I got to introduce my dad [to Ozzy]," Chris said of a moment on that tour. "My dad's quiet at the best of times, so he just sort of walked up and shook hands, and that was about it. They just stared at each other." He recalls everyone was starstruck around Ozzy at that time, it was the height of the Osbourne's reality television show, The Osbournes, and Ozzy was a massive star thanks to his Black Sabbath days and then successful solo career. Ozzy's reputation is huge - he was the lead singer of Black Sabbath until he was kicked out in 1979 after a long run of erratic drink and drug-fuelled behaviour, and when he bit the head off a bat onstage, he made rock history. But, underneath all the bravado, the rumour and the reality TV show, Chris simply remembers Ozzy as just being a good bloke. "When you got to be in his presence, you just felt like you were the only one there. He just had that magic about himself," he said. "He's done so many things that he's notorious for, but the person that I met was just funny and warm. "He's probably the biggest rock star on the planet, and I don't think he ever thought of it that way. He just liked playing music and enjoying himself. I don't think he was dwelling on his success at all." "Do you want to go on tour with Ozzy Osbourne?" It is a phone call Chris Rand is still shocked he received, even though it happened 27 years ago. Back then, in 1998, the singer and bass player for metal band Segression was busy working as a tattoo artist in Wollongong, and his wife Karen was heavily pregnant with the couple's first child. But, one phone call from Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne changed everything. "We had a tattoo shop in Corrimal at the time, and the phone rang, and it was actually Sharon Osbourne, wanting to speak to my mum because my mum managed the band," Chris recalls. "I was personally invited from Sharon and Ozzy." Segression had already toured with US metal bands Machine Head and Fear Factory, and those bands, who were friends with Ozzy, recommended Segression to him as a support act. But, with Karen pregnant, Chris worried he'd miss the birth of his first child. So, after much discussion, she was induced and had baby Kiara five days before the tour started. Chris is among a legion of fans and music industry insiders who are reeling after the death of Ozzy Osbourne on July 23 following a battle with Parkinson's disease. It was just weeks after the 76-year-old performed with metal pioneers Black Sabbath for the last time at a star-studded charity benefit show titled Back to the Beginning in the United Kingdom. "I've got shivers, I've got tears, I've got everything this morning. He was probably one of the nicest people I've ever met," Chris said through tears. "I'm devastated, absolutely devastated. I've never really felt much with a celebrity death before, but because of the personal connection that I had with him ... because I toured with him and met him and knew him as a person briefly, it really hit hard, to be honest." At Segression's first gig on that tour back in 1998, the pressure on them was enormous as they hit the stage before Ozzy, who was known as the Prince of Darkness. People have "paid a lot of money to go and see Ozzy Osbourne" and back then crowds were well known to "give a little bit of curry" to support bands. "I walked out on stage and it was, I wouldn't say completely hostile, but it was certainly not warm," Chris remembers. "I walked up to the microphone and before the band started, I got them to light up the crowd and I said, 'I know that everyone's here to see Ozzy, but we're a young Australian band that's been given an opportunity, so we think it's appropriate to start our set showing Ozzy Osboune what Australia is like. So, Aussie Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi,' and then we're into it. "The crowd, they turned completely on its head, and we had an amazing tour ... it was just so surreal." During another moment on tour, Ozzy was chatting to one of Segression's roadies who had a "full body suit of tattoos". "Ozzy was just so fascinated. He said, 'Can I see you without your shirt on again?'. He took his shirt off and he said, 'it's like a road map to your life'," Chris said. "And then, funnily enough, just after that tour, Ozzy went back home and got his arms tattooed, full sleeves." The tour and getting to meet Ozzy were so significant in Chris' life that he still holds dear the backstage pass he wore each night during the tour. "My Dad [Dave] was a massive Black Sabbath fan, so it's like one of my life's proudest moments when I got to introduce my dad [to Ozzy]," Chris said of a moment on that tour. "My dad's quiet at the best of times, so he just sort of walked up and shook hands, and that was about it. They just stared at each other." He recalls everyone was starstruck around Ozzy at that time, it was the height of the Osbourne's reality television show, The Osbournes, and Ozzy was a massive star thanks to his Black Sabbath days and then successful solo career. Ozzy's reputation is huge - he was the lead singer of Black Sabbath until he was kicked out in 1979 after a long run of erratic drink and drug-fuelled behaviour, and when he bit the head off a bat onstage, he made rock history. But, underneath all the bravado, the rumour and the reality TV show, Chris simply remembers Ozzy as just being a good bloke. "When you got to be in his presence, you just felt like you were the only one there. He just had that magic about himself," he said. "He's done so many things that he's notorious for, but the person that I met was just funny and warm. "He's probably the biggest rock star on the planet, and I don't think he ever thought of it that way. He just liked playing music and enjoying himself. I don't think he was dwelling on his success at all." "Do you want to go on tour with Ozzy Osbourne?" It is a phone call Chris Rand is still shocked he received, even though it happened 27 years ago. Back then, in 1998, the singer and bass player for metal band Segression was busy working as a tattoo artist in Wollongong, and his wife Karen was heavily pregnant with the couple's first child. But, one phone call from Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne changed everything. "We had a tattoo shop in Corrimal at the time, and the phone rang, and it was actually Sharon Osbourne, wanting to speak to my mum because my mum managed the band," Chris recalls. "I was personally invited from Sharon and Ozzy." Segression had already toured with US metal bands Machine Head and Fear Factory, and those bands, who were friends with Ozzy, recommended Segression to him as a support act. But, with Karen pregnant, Chris worried he'd miss the birth of his first child. So, after much discussion, she was induced and had baby Kiara five days before the tour started. Chris is among a legion of fans and music industry insiders who are reeling after the death of Ozzy Osbourne on July 23 following a battle with Parkinson's disease. It was just weeks after the 76-year-old performed with metal pioneers Black Sabbath for the last time at a star-studded charity benefit show titled Back to the Beginning in the United Kingdom. "I've got shivers, I've got tears, I've got everything this morning. He was probably one of the nicest people I've ever met," Chris said through tears. "I'm devastated, absolutely devastated. I've never really felt much with a celebrity death before, but because of the personal connection that I had with him ... because I toured with him and met him and knew him as a person briefly, it really hit hard, to be honest." At Segression's first gig on that tour back in 1998, the pressure on them was enormous as they hit the stage before Ozzy, who was known as the Prince of Darkness. People have "paid a lot of money to go and see Ozzy Osbourne" and back then crowds were well known to "give a little bit of curry" to support bands. "I walked out on stage and it was, I wouldn't say completely hostile, but it was certainly not warm," Chris remembers. "I walked up to the microphone and before the band started, I got them to light up the crowd and I said, 'I know that everyone's here to see Ozzy, but we're a young Australian band that's been given an opportunity, so we think it's appropriate to start our set showing Ozzy Osboune what Australia is like. So, Aussie Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi,' and then we're into it. "The crowd, they turned completely on its head, and we had an amazing tour ... it was just so surreal." During another moment on tour, Ozzy was chatting to one of Segression's roadies who had a "full body suit of tattoos". "Ozzy was just so fascinated. He said, 'Can I see you without your shirt on again?'. He took his shirt off and he said, 'it's like a road map to your life'," Chris said. "And then, funnily enough, just after that tour, Ozzy went back home and got his arms tattooed, full sleeves." The tour and getting to meet Ozzy were so significant in Chris' life that he still holds dear the backstage pass he wore each night during the tour. "My Dad [Dave] was a massive Black Sabbath fan, so it's like one of my life's proudest moments when I got to introduce my dad [to Ozzy]," Chris said of a moment on that tour. "My dad's quiet at the best of times, so he just sort of walked up and shook hands, and that was about it. They just stared at each other." He recalls everyone was starstruck around Ozzy at that time, it was the height of the Osbourne's reality television show, The Osbournes, and Ozzy was a massive star thanks to his Black Sabbath days and then successful solo career. Ozzy's reputation is huge - he was the lead singer of Black Sabbath until he was kicked out in 1979 after a long run of erratic drink and drug-fuelled behaviour, and when he bit the head off a bat onstage, he made rock history. But, underneath all the bravado, the rumour and the reality TV show, Chris simply remembers Ozzy as just being a good bloke. "When you got to be in his presence, you just felt like you were the only one there. He just had that magic about himself," he said. "He's done so many things that he's notorious for, but the person that I met was just funny and warm. "He's probably the biggest rock star on the planet, and I don't think he ever thought of it that way. He just liked playing music and enjoying himself. I don't think he was dwelling on his success at all." "Do you want to go on tour with Ozzy Osbourne?" It is a phone call Chris Rand is still shocked he received, even though it happened 27 years ago. Back then, in 1998, the singer and bass player for metal band Segression was busy working as a tattoo artist in Wollongong, and his wife Karen was heavily pregnant with the couple's first child. But, one phone call from Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne changed everything. "We had a tattoo shop in Corrimal at the time, and the phone rang, and it was actually Sharon Osbourne, wanting to speak to my mum because my mum managed the band," Chris recalls. "I was personally invited from Sharon and Ozzy." Segression had already toured with US metal bands Machine Head and Fear Factory, and those bands, who were friends with Ozzy, recommended Segression to him as a support act. But, with Karen pregnant, Chris worried he'd miss the birth of his first child. So, after much discussion, she was induced and had baby Kiara five days before the tour started. Chris is among a legion of fans and music industry insiders who are reeling after the death of Ozzy Osbourne on July 23 following a battle with Parkinson's disease. It was just weeks after the 76-year-old performed with metal pioneers Black Sabbath for the last time at a star-studded charity benefit show titled Back to the Beginning in the United Kingdom. "I've got shivers, I've got tears, I've got everything this morning. He was probably one of the nicest people I've ever met," Chris said through tears. "I'm devastated, absolutely devastated. I've never really felt much with a celebrity death before, but because of the personal connection that I had with him ... because I toured with him and met him and knew him as a person briefly, it really hit hard, to be honest." At Segression's first gig on that tour back in 1998, the pressure on them was enormous as they hit the stage before Ozzy, who was known as the Prince of Darkness. People have "paid a lot of money to go and see Ozzy Osbourne" and back then crowds were well known to "give a little bit of curry" to support bands. "I walked out on stage and it was, I wouldn't say completely hostile, but it was certainly not warm," Chris remembers. "I walked up to the microphone and before the band started, I got them to light up the crowd and I said, 'I know that everyone's here to see Ozzy, but we're a young Australian band that's been given an opportunity, so we think it's appropriate to start our set showing Ozzy Osboune what Australia is like. So, Aussie Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi,' and then we're into it. "The crowd, they turned completely on its head, and we had an amazing tour ... it was just so surreal." During another moment on tour, Ozzy was chatting to one of Segression's roadies who had a "full body suit of tattoos". "Ozzy was just so fascinated. He said, 'Can I see you without your shirt on again?'. He took his shirt off and he said, 'it's like a road map to your life'," Chris said. "And then, funnily enough, just after that tour, Ozzy went back home and got his arms tattooed, full sleeves." The tour and getting to meet Ozzy were so significant in Chris' life that he still holds dear the backstage pass he wore each night during the tour. "My Dad [Dave] was a massive Black Sabbath fan, so it's like one of my life's proudest moments when I got to introduce my dad [to Ozzy]," Chris said of a moment on that tour. "My dad's quiet at the best of times, so he just sort of walked up and shook hands, and that was about it. They just stared at each other." He recalls everyone was starstruck around Ozzy at that time, it was the height of the Osbourne's reality television show, The Osbournes, and Ozzy was a massive star thanks to his Black Sabbath days and then successful solo career. Ozzy's reputation is huge - he was the lead singer of Black Sabbath until he was kicked out in 1979 after a long run of erratic drink and drug-fuelled behaviour, and when he bit the head off a bat onstage, he made rock history. But, underneath all the bravado, the rumour and the reality TV show, Chris simply remembers Ozzy as just being a good bloke. "When you got to be in his presence, you just felt like you were the only one there. He just had that magic about himself," he said. "He's done so many things that he's notorious for, but the person that I met was just funny and warm. "He's probably the biggest rock star on the planet, and I don't think he ever thought of it that way. He just liked playing music and enjoying himself. I don't think he was dwelling on his success at all."
Sky News AU
38 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Medics worked on Ozzy Osbourne for hours in desperate battle to save rock legend: report
Paramedics fought for hours to save Ozzy Osbourne before the Black Sabbath frontman's death on Tuesday, according to a new report. A Thames Valley air ambulance landed in a field close to the rocker's mansion at 10:30 that morning, the Daily Mail claimed. The outlet claimed medics tried and failed to save the singer's life for two hours. A spokesperson for the organization told the Daily Mail, 'We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday.' Locals told the outlet that they worried 'something serious was happening' when they saw the chopper. One noted, 'We immediately feared it may be for him as he was known to be in fragile health.' Osbourne's family members's reps have yet to respond to Page Six's requests for comment. The Grammy winner's loved ones released a statement Tuesday revealing Osbourne's death 'with more sadness than mere words can convey.' They wrote that the Prince of Darkness was 'with his family and surrounded by love' in his final moments. He is survived by wife Sharon Osbourne and their three kids — daughter Aimee, 41, daughter Kelly, 40, and son Jack, 39. Additionally, Ozzy was the father of son Elliot, daughter Jessica and son Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley. The songwriter's cause of death has yet to be revealed. Ozzy suffered from a myriad of health issues prior to his passing, from Parkinson's disease to limited mobility from a 2003 accident exacerbated by a 2019 fall. The musician retired from touring in 2023 but did perform a farewell Black Sabbath show with bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler earlier this month. Ozzy had previously told Rolling Stone he would 'die a happy man' as long as he did this. 'My fans are what it's all about,' he gushed to the magazine in 2023. Originally published as Medics worked on Ozzy Osbourne for hours in desperate battle to save rock legend: report
Perth Now
38 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Air ambulance was called out to Ozzy Osbourne's mansion before his death
An air ambulance was called to Ozzy Osbourne's mansion in the hours before his death. The Black Sabbath legend passed away aged 76 on Tuesday (22.07.25) and it has been revealed that an aircraft was dispatched to his country property in Buckinghamshire as call handlers believed that the rocker's life was at risk. The helicopter crew are said to have spent around two hours with Ozzy - who had suffered from Parkinson's disease for several years - as they battled in vain to save his life. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Air Ambulance told MailOnline: "We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday." An unnamed resident added to the outlet: "I went out to have a look and saw that it was landing close to Ozzy's house. "All of us were talking about it and wondering what had happened. We immediately feared it may be for him as he was known to be in fragile health. "When we heard later that night that he had died it confirmed our worst fears." The Paranoid hitmaker's death was announced by his family in a statement on Tuesday night. It read: "It is with more sadness that 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." Ozzy's passing comes a little over two weeks after he reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the epic Back to the Beginning farewell gig at Villa Park in Birmingham and his sister Jean Powell has revealed that the news came a "shock" to her despite his "frail" health. She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "He was frail but [his death] still came as a shock. He still had plans and things he wanted to do. "We don't know the details of his death, it's still too early. It's just so sad. I'm just thankful he died in England." Jean admits that she has been stunned by the "outpouring of love" for Ozzy from fans and fellow music stars in the wake of the sad news. She added: "We just can't believe he is gone and we won't be getting another phone call or text from him. "Every week without fail he would get in touch, either by phone or text, to ask how we were all doing and what was going on."
