‘There would be nothing without you': Why Ozzy was the original Kardashian
It's a bizarre dual legacy for Osbourne to leave, following his death at age 76 on Wednesday. And while endless words will be written about his contribution to heavy metal and his shifting of the musical zeitgeist, it's only fair to mark his contribution to TV. Through his seminal MTV series, The Osbournes, the Prince of Darkness was also the father of reality TV as we know it.
Though it would go on to run for 52 episodes over four seasons, The Osbournes began in 2002 as a total experiment. And a risky one at that. The established musician who had struggled with sobriety had everything to lose by letting cameras into his private life; and at age 53 for the series launch, he was well outside the usual demographic for the youth channel (even though the cartoon stars of Beavis and Butt-Head loved him).
The show – which followed Osbourne, his wife Sharon and their two teenage children Kelly and Jack going about everyday life in their Beverley Hills home – was conceived as a 'documentary sitcom' off the back of the success of The Real World. The family had shot a segment for MTV's other new show, Cribs, which looked inside the homes of celebrities, and producers realised there was something worth exploring about the 'loving, dysfunctional, chaotic' nature of their home.
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Medics ‘worked for hours' to save Ozzy Osbourne
New details have emerged of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne's death, with a report that paramedics 'worked for hours' to save the ailing star's life, after rushing to his mansion via helicopter. The Daily Mail reports that a Thames Valley air ambulance landed in a field near Osbourne's English countryside mansion at 10:30am Tuesday, local time, with medics rushing inside to respond to the call for help. The outlet claimed the medics attempted worked for two hours to try and save the 76-year-old rocker's life, but to no avail. 'We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday,' a spokesperson for Thames Valley air ambulance confirmed to the Daily Mail. Osbourne's family released a statement yesterday announcing his death and revealing that the rock legend was 'with his family and surrounded by love' as he passed. '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,' the statement read. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.' It was signed: 'Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.' Osbourne, known as the 'Prince of Darkness' for his wild on stage antics, performed his final gig with his Black Sabbath bandmates just this month on 5 July in Villa Park in Birmingham. The band – including Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward – played a short five-song set, which was touted as 'the greatest heavy metal show ever'. At the time, he made it clear it would be his final performance as a result of his deteriorating health related to Parkinson's disease, which he'd first opened up about in 2020. It was the first time he had performed with Black Sabbath for 20 years. Osbourne's death came just days after his daughter Kelly had publicly railed against a cruel A.I. video circulating online, showing an AI-generated likeness of her father announcing that he was 'dying', and that he'd made peace with the fact doctors couldn't offer him any help. 'What the f**k is wrong with you people?' Kelly asked. 'Why would you spend your time making a video like this?' Osbourne, 40, insisted that her father was 'not dying,' adding, 'Yes, he has Parkinson's, and yes, his mobility is completely different than it used to be, but he's not dying.'
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
'Bless you': Sharon Osbourne reacts to Gavin Rossdale's Ozzy Osbourne tribute
Sharon Osbourne has reacted to Gavin Rossdale's tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. The 72-year-old star made her first public comment since the passing of the Black Sabbath icon at the age of 76 on Tuesday (22.07.25) as she replied to the Bush frontman's Instagram post in honour of the Paranoid rocker. Gavin captioned a photo of himself and Ozzy: "RIP OZZY - a great man - a true legend. I met Ozzy through Jack just a few times but he was so warm and kind and funny and I love that memory. Sending much love to his family at this difficult time. Rest in power." Sharon responded: "Bless you." The former America's Got Talent judge had shared a family statement with her kids Aimee, 41, Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39, announcing the sad news of Ozzy's death. It read: "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." Tributes to Ozzy poured in from music luminaries following his passing, with Sir Elton John describing the star as "a dear friend and huge trailblazer". The Rocketman singer posted on Instagram: "He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods. He was also one of the funniest people I've ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love." Ozzy's death comes just weeks after he played a farewell gig with Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Terence 'Geezer' Butler at Villa Park in his home city of Birmingham and the trio all shared tributes to the heavy metal pioneer. Butler wrote on Instagram: "Thanks for all those years - we had some great fun. "Four kids from Aston - who'd have thought, eh? So glad we got to do it one more time, back in Aston. Love you." Guitarist Iommi added: "It's just such heartbreaking news that I can't really find the words, there won't be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother." Ward posted on social media: "Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls... no, you're forever in my heart."
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Animal rights group PETA pay unexpected tribute to bat-biter Ozzy Osbourne
PETA has paid an unlikely tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. The Black Sabbath rocker, who died aged 76 on Tuesday (22.07.25), notoriously bit the head off of a bat during a concert in Iowa in 1982 but has been remembered fondly by animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for the "gentle side" he showed to creatures after teaming up with organisation to campaign against the declawing of cats. PETA posted on its website and social media channels: "Ozzy Osbourne was a legend and a provocateur, but PETA will remember the 'Prince of Darkness' most fondly for the gentle side he showed to animals - most recently cats, by using his fame to decry painful, crippling declawing mutilations. "Ozzy may have been the singer, but his wife, Sharon, and their daughter, Kelly, were of one voice when it meant protecting animals. "Ozzy will be missed by animal advocates the world over." The Crazy Train artist joined forces with PETA in 2020 to speak out on the declawing of felines and featured in an advertising campaign feature his bloodied hands with the tagline: "It's an amputation. Not a manicure." Ozzy said at the time: "Amputating a cat's toes is twisted and wrong. If your couch is more important to you than your cat's health and happiness, you don't deserve to have an animal! Get cats a scratching post - don't mutilate them for life." The rocker claimed in his 2010 autobiography I Am Ozzy that he chomped down on the bat's head as he was convinced that it was just a rubber toy throw on stage by a rowdy audience during his Diary of a Madman Tour. Osbourne wrote: "Immediately, though, something felt wrong. Very wrong. For a start my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid. Then the head in my mouth twitched. "Somebody threw a bat. I just thought it was a rubber bat. And I picked it up and put it in my mouth. I bit into it. "Oh no, it's real. It was a real live bat." However, Ozzy told the BBC in 2006 that the bat wasn't alive when it was thrown on stage. He recalled: "This bat comes on. I thought it was one of them Halloween joke bats because it had some string around its neck. "I bite into it, and I look to my left and Sharon was going (gesturing no). "And I'm like, what you talking about? She (says), 'It's a real dead bat.' And I'm... I know now!"
