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Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: hell-raising frontman of Black Sabbath
'Never mind the dog, beware of the owner,' read the sign on the gates of Ozzy Osbourne's Los Angeles mansion. It was intended as a joke. Yet at the height of the Black Sabbath singer's notoriety as one of rock's wildest hell-raisers the warning might have been construed as deadly serious. Osbourne's much-chronicled excesses included biting off the head of a bat on stage — he said he thought it was rubber — snorting a line of ants in a drunken contest with the lead singer of Mötley Crüe and being arrested for attempting to strangle his wife Sharon at their daughter's sixth birthday party after a five-day vodka bender. Sharon forgivingly declined to press charges on the grounds that 'the person who all but choked me to death was so far gone on drink and drugs that it wasn't him'. On tour in Texas he was arrested for urinating on the Alamo. He was wearing a dress at the time, which outraged the locals even further. He had been up drinking and taking drugs all night and Sharon, who was also his manager, had hidden his clothes in an attempt to get him to sleep it off. He simply borrowed hers instead. He also turned up to a meeting over dinner with the boss of his record company in Germany so wasted that he climbed on the table, disrobed to do a naked goose-step and concluded the performance by urinating in the chief executive's wine glass. • Hard rock pioneer Ozzy Osbourne dies aged 76 His saving grace was that much of this appalling behaviour was done with an earthy sense of humour. When given a rabies jab after biting the bat, he deadpanned that the poor creature had 'better get Ozzy shots'. When animal rights activists turned up at subsequent concerts to protest, he responded by throwing raw offal at them. His addictions at different times included dependency not only on alcohol but heroin, cocaine, LSD, barbiturates, amphetamines, cough mixture and a full cabinet of prescription drugs. At one point his doctor admitted to having prescribed him 13,000 doses of 32 different drugs in one year. He was 'more Spinal Tap than Spinal Tap', a reference to the spoof movie for which Black Sabbath were the partial inspiration. 'People would emigrate to get away from me. I was f***ing crazy,' he boasted. 'I was the guy parents loved to hate. They used to say: 'Lock up your daughters, dog, bat — Ozzy Osbourne is coming to town.'' When he fell in the shower and broke his leg, he was so out of it that he walked around for several days before he realised. Not for nothing did he give his solo albums titles such as Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. When drink and drugs had not rendered him physically incapable, he was also a serial womaniser. Life on the road was, he said, 'a bag of dope, a gram of coke and as many chicks as I could bang'. He called them 'the spoils of war' and once bedded a Japanese groupie in his hotel room, forgetting that his wife was already asleep in the bed. When he imported the habits of the road closer to home and slept with two of his children's nannies, Sharon took to hiring male carers. Somehow he survived the drink, drugs and other vices of the rock'n'roll lifestyle to become an improbable 21st-century television star when he and his dysfunctional family were the subject of a fly-on-the-wall human soap opera. One of the most successful reality television programmes ever made, The Osbournes took to the air on MTV in 2002. In the show Ozzy appeared as a damaged but harmless cartoon character as he shambled around his home in a bathrobe, trying unsuccessfully to work the TV remote, wringing his hands over the lavatory habits of his numerous cats and dogs and reeling with exasperation as he tried to keep up with his wife and wayward children. 'I love you all but you're all f***ing mad,' he yelled at them. The family were dubbed 'the Munsters of rock' and the show, which ran for three years, transformed the one-time heavy metal prince of darkness into an almost respectable, mainstream celebrity, who went on to dine with President George W Bush and performed at Buckingham Palace to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's golden jubilee. Over the years there were several spells in rehab but Ozzy invariable fell back into his old ways, until one therapist smartly turned the tables on him. 'Imagine you're the sober one and your wife is the alcoholic drug addict, f***ing all these guys. She's lying on the floor, she's pissed herself, she's f***ing wrecked the house — how do you think you'd cope?' the therapist asked. Osbourne admitted that he could not. It was a salutary lesson, reinforced when, as he approached 70, he realised that every one of his old drink and drug buddies was already dead. 'No one's come back and said, 'Hi, Oz, it's cooler on this side. Come and join us,'' he noted with uncharacteristic pragmatism. He referred to Sharon as The Controller, a term that combined her roles as manager, counsellor and a wife who was not afraid to read him the riot act. He credited her with having 'literally' saved his life and although at times he had a strange way of showing it, he appeared to love her deeply. When she was diagnosed in 2003 with colon cancer he was distraught. 'I remember holding her in my arms and thinking, God, let her get through the night,' he recalled. Once she had made a complete recovery, Ozzy reverted to type. The couple briefly separated in 2013 when she found he was doing drugs again and she kicked him out once more three years later when at the age of 67 began an affair with the celebrity hairstylist Michelle Pugh, 23 years his junior. In the end she took him back, as she had on every previous occasion. As incorrigible as ever, when asked after their reconciliation what was the secret to a long marriage, Osbourne retorted: 'Don't get caught with your mistress.' He is survived by Sharon. The pair wed in 1982 on America's Independence Day, a date he claimed to have chosen because he knew that otherwise he would never have remembered their anniversary. He is also survived by their three children. Aimee, an actress and musician, refused to participate in The Osbournes but her siblings, Kelly and Jack, became teenage celebrities as a result of the show. Both followed their father into rehab before re-emerging to become TV presenters. His first marriage was in 1971 to Thelma Riley; the pair met in a Birmingham nightclub. They had two children, Jessica and Louis, and he adopted her son Elliot from a previous relationship. However, in the 2011 documentary God Bless Ozzy Osbourne he freely admitted to having been an absentee father who could remember nothing about their childhood. He was born John Michael Osbourne in December 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, the fourth of sixth children, to Jack, a toolmaker, and Lillian (née Unitt), a factory worker. The family of eight lived cheek-by-jowl in a terraced house and Osbourne said his earliest memories were of fear. 'I've never been comfortable in my own skin. For some reason, I'm a frightened soul,' he complained. His brash public persona was a defence mechanism. School was a disaster and he suffered from undiagnosed attention deficit disorder and dyslexia. Obsessed with morbid fantasies, he dreamt about murdering his mother, burning his sister and hanging himself. He vented his frustration by shooting at his neighbour's cats with an air rifle and his first job on leaving school at 15 was in an abattoir. Music was his escape; he was entranced by the Beatles. 'I would sit for hours daydreaming — wouldn't it be great if Paul McCartney married my sister?' At the age of 17 he served six weeks in prison for robbery after his father refused to pay the fine imposed by the court. The experience behind bars scared him enough to turn him away from a life of petty crime and, given that his only accomplishment at school had been to appear in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, he resolved to become a singer. After working his way through a number of undistinguished 1960s Birmingham rock bands he ended up in Earth, who in 1969 changed their name to Black Sabbath after the Boris Karloff horror film. One of the first heavy metal bands, they had no time for fey hippie idealism. 'We were living in Birmingham,' Ozzy recalled. 'We had no money, we never had a car, we very rarely went on holiday — and suddenly we hear: 'If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair.' And we're thinking, 'This is bollocks — the only flower I'll wear is on my f***ing grave.'' Sabbath determined that the best way to make themselves different was to play louder and heavier than anyone else, helped by Osbourne's yelping vocals and the distorted sound of Tony Iommi's guitar underpinned by Bill Ward's thumping drums and the subterranean rumble of Geezer Butler's bass. The occult imagery of the band's name — reflected in album artwork and song lyrics — owed more to the hammy novels of Dennis Wheatley than any genuine connection with black magic. Nevertheless, Black Sabbath were branded as satanists, and Christian rock groups in America burnt their records. The band's breakthrough came in 1970 when the album Paranoid topped the British charts. The group released eight LPs during the Seventies, selling millions as relentlessly bludgeoning songs such as Paranoid, Iron Man and Into the Void struck a chord with disenfranchised and nihilistic teenagers who shared Osbourne's contempt for the love and peace slogans of flower power. By the mid-1970s Black Sabbath were in the grip of what Osbourne called 'rock star fever … limousines everywhere, groupies … dealers dropping by with bags of white powder'. Recording sessions consisted of 'being in the Jacuzzi all day doing cocaine and every now and then we'd get up and do a song'. • James Jackson: Goodbye Black Sabbath — you changed my life After a series of drunken fights with other band members, Osbourne was fired in 1979 and fell into a deep depression. He spent the next three months sitting in a hotel room in LA with the curtains closed as he drunk and drugged himself into oblivion. It was, he was convinced, his 'last party', and when the money ran out he planned to 'go back to Birmingham and the dole'. Enter Sharon Arden, daughter of Don, a notoriously violent music mogul with alleged mafia connections who at the time was Black Sabbath's manager. Her instructions were to broker a rapprochement between Osbourne and the band but instead she took over the management of his solo career and married him, resulting in a family feud in which father and daughter did not speak to each other for 15 years. Osbourne's solo success soon outstripped that of Black Sabbath, who soldiered on without him. Inevitably controversy followed his 1984 song Suicide Solution, which allegedly triggered a spate of teenage deaths; Osbourne was sued by three families claiming that his music was to blame for the suicide of their offspring. 'Parents have called me and said, 'When my son died of a drug overdose, your record was on the turntable.' I can't help that,' he protested with a regrettable lack of sympathy. 'These people are freaking out anyway and they need a vehicle.' When the cases were eventually dismissed, with typical poor taste Osbourne joked: 'If I wrote music for people who shot themselves after listening to my music, I wouldn't have much of a following.' He survived various health scares including a broken neck that put him a coma for eight days after he crashed a quad bike, and reunited with Black Sabbath on several occasions. He announced in 2020 that he had been given a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, and played a farewell concert with Black Sabbath at Villa Park in Birmingham weeks before he died. Looking back he characterised his life of hell-raising as 'fun, but selfish fun'. 'I think everybody would love to be the wild one for a weekend,' he said. 'I guess I just took it too far. Ozzy was the guy I created for the stage, but at the end of the day I was him 24/7.' Ozzy Osbourne, musician, was born on December 3, 1948. He died after suffering from Parkinson's disease on July 22, 2025, aged 76
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tommy Lee shocks fans by declaring he is NOT divorcing his wife
Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee is setting the record straight after weeks of speculation surrounding his marriage to Brittany Furlan. On Saturday, July 19, the 62-year-old rocker took to Instagram with a defiant message aimed directly at the rumor mill. 'Hey fake news,' he wrote in a post featuring a smiling selfie alongside his wife. 'We're not separated or divorced!! Get your s**t together!!' The bold post comes after a period of silence from the couple, who hadn't publicly appeared together on social media since a bizarre catfishing scandal involving Furlan earlier this year. In May, Furlan revealed that she had unknowingly exchanged flirtatious messages with a catfish impersonating musician Ronnie Radke, which led to speculation that the incident had driven a wedge between her and Lee. Fans began to wonder if the couple, who married in 2019 after meeting on the exclusive dating app Raya, had quietly split. Furlan, 38, had also been posting cryptic, introspective videos in recent weeks—including one about emerging from a 'lowest point' and finding strength in dark times—while Lee had gone largely quiet, only resurfacing for nature-themed posts. But the rocker's latest post makes it clear: the two are still very much together. Furlan also appeared to confirm their relationship status with a subtle but sweet Instagram Story the same day, featuring a silhouetted video of her and Lee sharing a kiss.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bad Bunny Kicks Off Historic Residency in Puerto Rico: Every Song From His First Show
History was in the making on Friday night (July 11) as Bad Bunny launched his wildly anticipated No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí (meaning: I Don't Want to Leave From Here) residency at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot (a.k.a. El Choli) in San Juan. The event marked the beginning of his unprecedented 30-show series, making him the first artist to ever headline a residency of this scale at the iconic venue with capacity for 18,000 people. More from Billboard Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx Says 'Health Issues' Prevented Band From Performing at All-Star Final Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath Show Hegseth's Video Deleted, Reposted After Metallica's Cease & Desist Over Unauthorized Use of 'Enter Sandman' in Drone Clip Ed Sheeran Overwhelmed With Emotion Performing With Musical Hero James Blunt: 'Top 3 Favorite Moments on Stage Of All Time' The Puerto Rican superstar (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) put on an electrifying show for a euphoric, sold-out audience on opening night, fusing reggaeton, Latin trap and Puerto Rican folk sounds with heartfelt moments honoring his culture — even featuring a quaint Boricua home onstage. 'Show them from the start where the gladiators were born,' reggaetón pioneer Ivy Queen wrote in Spanish on Bad Bunny's IG post announcing the residency. 'Proudly representing from the heart of the neighborhood, where we can vibe to the beat of drums, the bass of a car speaker, or even acapella — we bring the energy anywhere! Historic moment, my pollito stepping up with pride and showing off what it means to be Puerto Rican! That huge Pisces heart is coming through strong! Let's gooooooo!' The first three weeks of the residency (July 11–27) are restricted to Puerto Rico residents before opening up to tourists. '[This residency] will position Puerto Rico as a premier entertainment destination,' Jorge L. Pérez, the general manager of Coliseo de Puerto Rico, previously told Billboard Español. 'It will open the eyes of visitors who have never come to Puerto Rico. It will create awareness of Puerto Rico as an entertainment and leisure destination.' Planning to come to Bad Bunny's residency? Here's the ultimate travel guide with everything you need to know before you arrive. (His new surprise single, 'Alambre PúA,' which he debuted at the show but was mistakenly left out of our original post, has also been added to the beginning of the setlist.') Check out the full setlist from his opening show at El Choli below. Single (2025) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: YHLGMDLG (2020), feat. Daddy Yankee Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: Un Verano Sin Ti (2022) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025), feat. Chuwi Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: X 100pre (2018) Album: X 100pre (2018) Single (2018) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: Un Verano Sin Ti (2022) Album: Un Verano Sin Ti (2022) Album: YHLGMDLG (2020) Album: X 100pre (2018), feat. El Alfa Album: Arcángel's Sr. Santos (2022), Arcángel & Bad Bunny Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: Un Verano Sin Ti (2022), feat. Chencho Corleone Album: Jhayco's Famouz (2019), Bad Bunny, J Balvin & Jhayco Album: Lunay's Épico (2019), Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee & Lunay Album: Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (2023), feat. Feid Album: YHLGMDLG (2020) Album: Un Verano Sin Ti (2022) Album: YHLGMDLG (2020), feat. Jowell & Randy, and Ñengo Flow Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025), feat. Dei V & Omar Courtz Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025), feat. Los Pleneros de la Cresta Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: Un Verano Sin Ti (2022), feat. Tainy Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (2025) Album: YHLGMDLG (2020), feat. Arcángel & Kendo Kaponi Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
New York Post
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Nikki Sixx reveals why Mötley Crüe didn't perform at Ozzy Osbourne's Black Sabbath farewell show — after Sharon's disinvite shocker
Mötley Crüe, where are you? The heavy metal band was speculated to have been the group that Sharon Osbourne disinvited from her husband Ozzy Osbourne's final show with Black Sabbath last weekend. But co-founder Nikki Sixx recently clarified the reason for the band's absence on X (formerly Twitter). 9 Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue performs at the Summerfest Music Festival 2024. Billboard via Getty Images 9 Ozzy Osbourne performs during Black Sabbath's 'Back to the Beginning' concert on July 5. Greg Draven/X 'We have been having health issues within the band….,' Sixx, 66, wrote on Friday in response to a fan who asked why they weren't at the farewell concert. 9 Nikki Sixx reveals why Mötley Crüe wasn't at Black Sabbath's concert. Sixx then shared a lengthier message on Instagram with more insight into his health. 'I work HARD and i'm not interested in dying from work and BS STRESS,' the musician wrote. 'I work up my blood twice a year and WE'RE focused on always evolving health my goal. Just got back today's newest results and considering some misadventures in the past this 66 year old pirate ship looks ready to go back to sea.' 9 Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Vince Neil and Mick Mars from Motley Crue in 1983. WireImage 'I have a wonderful wife, 5 golden children and a beautiful granddaughter. Do you think any part of my past indulgences Is worth destroying the beautiful life I built?' Sixx continued. 'Never. This is it.' The rocker added: 'Either get your s–t tighter or die a slow death crawl. We all die, some just give up sooner….I'm planning on cracking 100. That will piss off the critics. Enjoy your weekend.' Sixx made no mention of Sharon, 72, amid the rumors that a band was disinvited from the big show. 9 Ozzy Osbourne and Nikki Sixx attend an afterparty after a concert in 1984. Getty Images 9 Nikki Sixx, Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford attend the OzzFest tour announcement press conference in 2010. FilmMagic Mötley Crüe, which is currently made up of Sixx, Tommy Lee, Vince Neil and John 5, delayed their Las Vegas residency earlier this year and canceled their show at the Boardwalk Rock Festival in April due to Neil's health issues. In a statement, the band said that Neil, 64, was 'recuperating after a required medical procedure advised by the doctors.' 9 Nikki Sixx attends the North American premiere of 'The Retaliators' at the 21st Annual ScreamFest horror film festival opening night. Getty Images On July 5, Ozzy, 76, performed his final show with Black Sabbath at Villa Park Stadium in Birmingham, England, where the band was formed in 1968. Due to his Parkinson's condition, Ozzy sat on stage in a black leather chair for his performance. The gig featured additional performances by Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon and Rival Sons. 9 Ozzy Osbourne performs at his farewell concert with Black Sabbath. ð¸ Rock History ð¸, /X Before the concert, Sharon sparked a social media firestorm by stating that a band was booted from the event because they wanted to cash in on Ozzy's final farewell. 'It's not the time to make a profit,' she told Billboard. 'After the show, I'll let everybody know who it was. I think people will be shocked.' 9 Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne at the 2020 Grammy Awards. Getty Images Following Sharon's remarks, fans quickly began speculating which band was disinvited from the concert. Mötley Crüe and Kiss were the most common guesses in a Reddit thread about the drama. One fan said: 'I think it's Motley Crue because they made so much money on [their] Farewell tour and said they were done … then all of a sudden they want to come back for another cash grab and that's when [guitarist Mick] Mars left the band. Even if they have money. They need more.'
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch Dolly Parton and Mötley Crüe's New ‘Home Sweet Home' Video
Mötley Crüe and Dolly Parton have teamed up to record a new version of the band's 1985 power ballad 'Home Sweet Home.' The new track appears on their upcoming singles collection From The Beginning, which arrives just in time for the launch of their Las Vegas residency at the Park MGM on September 12. 'For an icon like Dolly Parton to sing on a song that has not only meant so much to us but to all the fans through the years, is a career high that means a lot to us,' Mötley Crüe said in a statement. 'We couldn't be happier to celebrate the 40th anniversary of 'Home Sweet Home' in this special way, and we're excited to share this version of the song with all the Dolly and Mötley fans around the world.' More from Rolling Stone Dolly Parton Will Receive Honorary Oscar at 2025 Governors Awards Dolly Parton Is Still A Diamond In A Rhinestone World - And Her Second Jewelry Collab With Kendra Scott Proves It Sabrina Carpenter Cold-Plunges Before Every Show and 16 Other Things That Didn't Make Our Cover Story They also released a new 'Home Sweet Home' video that mixes with new footage of Parton in the studio with vintage clips of the Crüe, and information about homeless youth and Covenant House. A portion of the proceeds from the song will benefit Covenant House, an organization that aides young people experiencing homelessness. 'That we were able to unite with Dolly to raise awareness for homeless youth and the amazing work of Covenant House, which provides them safe housing and care, makes it even more special,' the band said. 'We hope you'll enjoy 'Home Sweet Home' featuring Dolly Parton as much as Dolly and we enjoyed creating it.' This is far from the first time Dolly Parton has teamed up with rock icons. Her 2023 LP Rockstar featured collaborations with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sting, Steve Perry, Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks, Peter Frampton, Joan Jett, Rob Halford, and Simon Le Bon. 'It was an honor and a joy working in the studio on Mötley Crüe's 40th Anniversary re-release of 'Home Sweet Home,'' she said in a statement. 'I was so pleased that they would ask me to sing on such a classic.' Mötley Crüe, meanwhile, have been off the road since October 2024 as Vince Neil recovers from a vocal procedure. It forced them to cancel many shows, and delay their Vegas residency. 'I'm truly sorry,' Neil said in a statement at the time. 'My health is my top priority so I can bring you the awesome shows you deserve, and I can't wait to return to the stage. Thank you for all the well wishes that keep reaching me. Your support means more than you know.' They have ten shows booked at the Park MGM in Vegas between September 12 and October 3. They then head to Riviera Maya, Mexico, on November 7 to play the Rock the Tides Festival on a bill that also includes Def Leppard, Bret Michaels, Extreme, and Living Colour. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
