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First Post
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Ozzy Osbourne, who led Black Sabbath and became the godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76
'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,' a family statement from Birmingham, England, said read more Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. He was 76. '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,' a family statement from Birmingham, England, said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson's disease after suffering a fall. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents' groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show 'The Osbournes.' The Big Bang of heavy metal Black Sabbath's 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock 'n' roll. The band's second album, 'Paranoid,' included such classic metal tunes as 'War Pigs,' 'Iron Man' and 'Fairies Wear Boots.' The song 'Paranoid' only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band's signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine. 'Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who's serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,' Dave Navarro of the band Jane's Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. 'There's a direct line you can draw back from today's metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.' Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. 'We knew we didn't really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,' wrote bassist Terry 'Geezer' Butler in his memoir, 'Into the Void.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with 'Blizzard of Ozz' and the following year's 'Diary of a Madman,' both hard rock classics that went multiplatinum and spawned enduring favorites such as 'Crazy Train,' 'Goodbye to Romance,' 'Flying High Again' and 'You Can't Kill Rock and Roll.' Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist. The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July for what Osbourne said would be his final concert. 'Let the madness begin!' he told 42,000 fans in Birmingham. Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon all did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar and more made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Black Sabbath: we'd all be different people without them, that's the truth,' said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. 'I know I wouldn't be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath.' Outlandish exploits and a classic look Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off the live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.) Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song 'Suicide Solution.' The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC. Then-Cardinal John J. O'Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne's songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. 'You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,' the singer wrote back. 'You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.' Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty 'God bless!' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He started an annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Osbourne's look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw '13,' which reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone's 'Take What You Want,' Osbourne's first song in the Top 10 since 1989. In 2020, he released the album 'Ordinary Man,' which had as its title song a duet with Elton John. 'I've been a bad guy, been higher than the blue sky/And the truth is I don't wanna die an ordinary man,' he sang. In 2022, he landed his first career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his album 'Patient Number 9,' which featured collaborations with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo and Duff McKagan. It earned four Grammy nominations, winning two. (Osbourne won five Grammys over his lifetime.) STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2024, Jack Black called him 'greatest frontman in the history of rock 'n' roll' and 'the Jack Nicholson of rock.' Osbourne thanked his fans, his guitarist Randy Rhoads and his longtime wife, Sharon Osbourne. The beginnings of Black Sabbath John Michael Osbourne was raised in the gritty city of Birmingham. Kids in school nicknamed him Ozzy, short for his surname. As a boy, he loved the Four Seasons, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The Beatles made a huge impression. 'They came from Liverpool, which was approximately 60 miles north of where I come from,' he told Billboard. 'So all of a sudden it was in my grasp, but I never thought it would be as successful as it became.' In the late 1960s, Osbourne had teamed up with Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward as the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They decided to rename the band Earth, but found to their dismay there was another band with that name. So they changed the name to the American title of the classic Italian horror movie 'I Tre Volti Della Paura,' starring Boris Karloff: Black Sabbath. Once they found their sludgy, ominous groove, the band was productive, putting out their self-titled debut and 'Paranoid' in 1970, 'Master of Reality' in 1971, 'Vol. 4' in 1972 and 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' in 1973. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The music was all about industrial guitar riffs and disorienting changes in time signatures, along with lyrics that spoke of alienation and doom. 'People think I'm insane because I am frowning all the time,' Osbourne sang in one song. 'All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy/Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something to pacify.' The Guardian newspaper in 2009 said the band 'introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to flower power. Black Sabbath confronted the empty platitudes of the 1960s and, along with Altamont and Charles Manson, almost certainly helped kill off the hippy counterculture.' After Sabbath, Osbourne had an uncanny knack for calling some of the most creative young guitarists to his side. When he went solo, he hired the brilliant innovator Rhoads, who played on two of Osbourne's finest solo albums, 'Blizzard of Ozz' and 'Diary of a Madman.' Rhoads was killed in a freak plane accident in 1982; Osbourne released the live album 'Tribute' in 1987 in his memory. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Osbourne then signed Jake E. Lee, who lent his talents to the platinum albums 'Bark at the Moon' and 'The Ultimate Sin.' Hotshot Zakk Wylde joined Osbourne's band for 'No Rest for the Wicked' and the multiplatinum 'No More Tears.' 'They come along, they sprout wings, they blossom, and they fly off,' Osbourne said of his players in 1995 to The Associated Press. 'But I have to move on. To get a new player now and again boosts me on.' Courting controversy — and wholesomeness Whomever he was playing with, Osbourne wasn't likely to back down from controversy. He had the last laugh when the TV evangelist the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart in 1986 lambasted various rock groups and rock magazines as 'the new pornography,' prompting some retailers to pull Osbourne's album. When Swaggart later was caught with a sex worker in 1988, Osbourne put out the song 'Miracle Man' about his foe: 'Miracle man got busted/miracle man got busted,' he sang. 'Today I saw a Miracle Man, on TV cryin'/Such a hypocritical man, born again, dying.' Much later, a whole new Osbourne would be revealed when 'The Osbournes,' which ran on MTV from 2002-2005, showed this one-time self-proclaimed madman drinking Diet Cokes as he struggled to find the History Channel on his new satellite television or warning his kids not to smoke or drink before they embarked on a night on the town. Later, he and his son Jack toured America on the travel show 'Ozzy & Jack's World Detour,' where the pair visited such places as Mount Rushmore and the Space Center Houston. Osbourne was honored in 2014 with the naming of a bat frog found in the Amazon that makes high-pitched, batlike calls. It was dubbed Dendropsophus ozzyi. He also met Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee weekend. He was standing next to singer-actor Cliff Richard. 'She took one look at the two of us, said 'Oh, so this is what they call variety, is it?' then cracked up laughing. I honestly thought that Sharon had slipped some acid into my cornflakes that morning,' he wrote in 'I Am Ozzy.' Thelma Riley and Osbourne married in 1971; Osbourne adopted her son Elliot Kingsley, and they had two more children, Jessica and Louis. Osbourne later met his wife, then Sharon Levy, who became her own celebrity persona, when she was running her father's Los Angeles office. Her father was Don Arden, a top concert promoter and artist manager. She went to Osbourne's hotel in Los Angeles to collect money, which Osbourne had spent on drugs. 'She says she'll come back in three days and I'd better have it. I'd always fancied her and I thought, 'Ah, she's coming back! Maybe I have a chance.' I had pizza hanging from my hair, cigarette ashes on my shirt,' he told the Los Angeles Times in 2000. They married in 1982, had three children — Kelly, Aimee and Jack — and endured periodic separations and reconciliations. He is survived by Sharon Osbourne and his children.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross coming to The Big E to perform on opening weekend
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Rappers Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross are coming to The Big E to perform on opening weekend. 'Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check,' came out in 1996 by Busta, who topped charts with his albums in the 90s into the 2000s. His seventh album, 'The Big Bang', debuted at No.1 in 2006. Busta Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor George Smith Jr., has since worked as a producer, starred in movies and television, and his most recent album, xtinction Level 2 Event: The Wrath of God, was released in 2020. ZZ Top coming to The Big E to perform on the last day of the fair Rick Ross, whose real name is William Leonard Roberts II, has released 11 studio albums. His No. 1 album, Port Of Miami, featured the top singles, 'Hustlin'' and 'Push It.' He has collaborated with numerous artists over his career, including DJ Khaled, Kanye West, Maybach's French Montana, Ace Hood, and Chris Brown. They are scheduled to perform at The Big E Arena on Saturday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets include admission to the Big E Fair when purchased in advance of the show date. The 109th Big E Fair will run from September 12th through September 28th. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Malaysian Reserve
19-05-2025
- Science
- Malaysian Reserve
Brian Greene Tells LMU Graduates: Embrace Your Moment in the Cosmos with Curiosity and Gratitude
LOS ANGELES, May 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Brian Greene, a leading theoretical physicist and sought-after communicator of groundbreaking scientific concepts, urged those gathered Sunday for Loyola Marymount University's graduate and LMU Loyola Law School commencement to appreciate their unique existence in the cosmos, embrace their potential, and approach life with gratitude. Addressing a rapt crowd on LMU's sun-filled Westchester campus, the best-selling author told graduates 'we have each won the most improbable cosmic lottery.' See the press kit with images and Greene's commencement video HERE. 'Think about how utterly unlikely it is that you exist,' Greene said. 'Think about the nearly infinite collection of quantum processes stretching from The Big Bang until today … yet against those astounding odds – for a brief moment of time you exist, as do I.' Drawing on discoveries from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan to Edwin Hubble, Greene traced for students and attendees the arc of scientific discovery allowing us to better understand our place in the universe, and the phenomenon of our capacity to live, comprehend, and connect with one another. Greene also noted the contributions of Jesuit-educated Catholic priest Georges Lemaître, who 'used Einstein's math to catch a glimpse of the possibility that space might be expanding,' an idea widely rejected at the time, only to be established a few years later. 'We can think about the past. We can imagine the future. We can take in the universe, mind and body, with reasoning and emotion allowing us to figure out astonishing things, like how stars shine and light travels, how black holes form and time elapses, allowing for creative achievements … all created by minds like yours, like mine, and that …most certainly will continue to create great beauty, to illuminate great mystery, to experience great wonder.' This phenomenon of human existence, Greene concluded, 'should give us all a deep sense of connection. A kind of cosmic communion, and a sense that I can summarize with one word: gratitude.' 'Gratitude for being a small transient part of this wondrous unfolding, gratitude for our capacity to come together in groups that, at their best, allow us to each realize our potential, gratitude for our capacity for courage like that of George Lemaître, to stand up to authority, to not accept easy answers, and when necessary to fight for what we believe in. Gratitude that is for human existence, for fragile, delicate, difficult, challenging, painful, exhausting, beautiful, exquisite, transcendent, human existence, however brief, however evanescent, however fleeting.' Greene is a lifelong learner committed to intellectual inquiry, educational access, and academic excellence. Described by The Washington Post as 'the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today,' he is the author of four acclaimed books that have collectively sold millions of copies worldwide. His latest best-selling release, 'Until the End of Time,' which explores the cosmos and our quest to understand it, was named one of the '100 Notable Books of 2020' by The New York Times. Greene's books have been adapted into two Emmy and Peabody Award-winning NOVA miniseries, both of which he hosted. With journalist Tracy Day, he co-founded the World Science Festival, whose flagship events in New York and Australia have reached an audience of more than two million people, and more than 250 million people online. Greene has appeared on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' played himself in an episode of 'The Big Bang Theory,' and made cameo appearances in films including 'Frequency,' 'Maze,' and 'The Last Mimzy.' A Harvard graduate and a Rhodes Scholar, he serves as director of Columbia University's Center for Theoretical Physics. Nearly 2,900 LMU undergraduate, graduate, and law students participated in weekend commencement celebrations, which began Saturday with Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson addressing the undergraduate commencement ceremony. ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY Loyola Marymount University is one of the nation's top-ranked Catholic universities, recognized by U.S. News & World Report among the top 50 private and top five Jesuit institutions in the country, and among California's top six private schools. Founded in 1911 and rooted in the Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount traditions, LMU enrolls 7,100 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate and law students across seven colleges and schools. The university offers 56 undergraduate majors, 57 minors, 43 master's degree programs, three doctorate programs, and 12 credential/authorization programs. With top-ranked programs in law, film and television, entrepreneurship, business, and the arts, LMU is embedded in the creative, cultural, and economic life of Los Angeles. The university generates $1.4 billion in annual economic impact. A proud member of the West Coast Conference, LMU fields 14 NCAA Division I teams and competes with purpose, pride, and integrity. LMU news and events are found at:
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Brian Greene Tells LMU Graduates: Embrace Your Moment in the Cosmos with Curiosity and Gratitude
LOS ANGELES, May 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brian Greene, a leading theoretical physicist and sought-after communicator of groundbreaking scientific concepts, urged those gathered Sunday for Loyola Marymount University's graduate and LMU Loyola Law School commencement to appreciate their unique existence in the cosmos, embrace their potential, and approach life with gratitude. Addressing a rapt crowd on LMU's sun-filled Westchester campus, the best-selling author told graduates "we have each won the most improbable cosmic lottery." See the press kit with images and Greene's commencement video HERE. "Think about how utterly unlikely it is that you exist," Greene said. "Think about the nearly infinite collection of quantum processes stretching from The Big Bang until today … yet against those astounding odds – for a brief moment of time you exist, as do I." Drawing on discoveries from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan to Edwin Hubble, Greene traced for students and attendees the arc of scientific discovery allowing us to better understand our place in the universe, and the phenomenon of our capacity to live, comprehend, and connect with one another. Greene also noted the contributions of Jesuit-educated Catholic priest Georges Lemaître, who "used Einstein's math to catch a glimpse of the possibility that space might be expanding," an idea widely rejected at the time, only to be established a few years later. "We can think about the past. We can imagine the future. We can take in the universe, mind and body, with reasoning and emotion allowing us to figure out astonishing things, like how stars shine and light travels, how black holes form and time elapses, allowing for creative achievements … all created by minds like yours, like mine, and that …most certainly will continue to create great beauty, to illuminate great mystery, to experience great wonder." This phenomenon of human existence, Greene concluded, "should give us all a deep sense of connection. A kind of cosmic communion, and a sense that I can summarize with one word: gratitude." "Gratitude for being a small transient part of this wondrous unfolding, gratitude for our capacity to come together in groups that, at their best, allow us to each realize our potential, gratitude for our capacity for courage like that of George Lemaître, to stand up to authority, to not accept easy answers, and when necessary to fight for what we believe in. Gratitude that is for human existence, for fragile, delicate, difficult, challenging, painful, exhausting, beautiful, exquisite, transcendent, human existence, however brief, however evanescent, however fleeting." Greene is a lifelong learner committed to intellectual inquiry, educational access, and academic excellence. Described by The Washington Post as "the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today," he is the author of four acclaimed books that have collectively sold millions of copies worldwide. His latest best-selling release, "Until the End of Time," which explores the cosmos and our quest to understand it, was named one of the "100 Notable Books of 2020" by The New York Times. Greene's books have been adapted into two Emmy and Peabody Award-winning NOVA miniseries, both of which he hosted. With journalist Tracy Day, he co-founded the World Science Festival, whose flagship events in New York and Australia have reached an audience of more than two million people, and more than 250 million people online. Greene has appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," played himself in an episode of "The Big Bang Theory," and made cameo appearances in films including "Frequency," "Maze," and "The Last Mimzy." A Harvard graduate and a Rhodes Scholar, he serves as director of Columbia University's Center for Theoretical Physics. Nearly 2,900 LMU undergraduate, graduate, and law students participated in weekend commencement celebrations, which began Saturday with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson addressing the undergraduate commencement ceremony. ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY Loyola Marymount University is one of the nation's top-ranked Catholic universities, recognized by U.S. News & World Report among the top 50 private and top five Jesuit institutions in the country, and among California's top six private schools. Founded in 1911 and rooted in the Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount traditions, LMU enrolls 7,100 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate and law students across seven colleges and schools. The university offers 56 undergraduate majors, 57 minors, 43 master's degree programs, three doctorate programs, and 12 credential/authorization programs. With top-ranked programs in law, film and television, entrepreneurship, business, and the arts, LMU is embedded in the creative, cultural, and economic life of Los Angeles. The university generates $1.4 billion in annual economic impact. A proud member of the West Coast Conference, LMU fields 14 NCAA Division I teams and competes with purpose, pride, and integrity. LMU news and events are found at: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Loyola Marymount University
Daily Mirror
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Angellica Bell's CBBC star husband who quit fame and his comments about Martin Lewis
Presenter Angellica Bell received the backing of her CBBC star husband Michael Underwood as she entered Celebrity Big Brother in her TV return after Martin Lewis axe Celebrity Big Brother's Angellica Bell has been supported by her husband following her exit from the ITV house, yet he is equally famous in his own right. The TV presenter is loved up with former children's TV presenter Michael Underwood, who cheered her on every step of the way. Unlike Angellica, who returned to the spotlight by entering the Big Brother house, Michael decided to turn his back on fame despite being just as famous. Back in the 90s and 00s, he hosted the likes of Jungle Run, The Big Bang and Ministry of Mayhem but he now works as a part-time teacher. Many fans didn't realise the former children's TV stars are happily married until Michael made a rare appearance to support Angellica. He shared a wholesome video online as she entered the house two weeks ago. Away from the air, Michael has also been on hand to support his wife following her sudden exit from The Martin Lewis Money Show back in 2023. Just before leaving the house in the brutal triple eviction, Angellica was left in tears as she reflected on her time on the show. She admitted: "I've loved every minute, it's probably the best thing I've done in a long time. Before I came in here, I was a little bit scared. The press were asking me if I would talk about the Martin Lewis show and stuff, it took me a long time to get over that. "I was so grateful to all of the audience who messaged me about it, also to other celebrities who contacted me and stuff because those messages are what got me through. "That's why I wanted to come onto this show and tap into my old self because it's taken me a long time." Angellica was bluntly informed that her presence was no longer needed on set and saw herself promptly replaced by the former Olympian turned broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye. She had joined the show back in 2017 but she also hosted Channel 5's revamped edition of The Gadget Show – renamed Shop Smart, Save Money. There were reports a 'conflict of interest' led to her speedy exit from the ITV gig. At the time, ITV said: "Angellica is not working on the Martin Lewis Money Show Live, however, the relationship with her remains amicable and we are working with her on other forthcoming programmes." Michael hasn't directly spoke out on Angellica's exit, yet he was fully behind her decision to join Celebrity Big Brother and get back onto TV screens. Before entering the house, he said: "I just hope she goes in there and shows you what I see every day and have seen every day since we met like 25 years ago, and what I see every day since we've been married. You know, just that kind, funny, straight talking person. "I hope you get to see that because I think in all the other stuff she's done on TV, that hasn't always come through because of the type of show she's working on. But I'd love it. This is her chance to be herself and I think that'll work really well for her." He also hinted Angellica was planning to open up on the exit while in the house. A fan asked: "Why did she stop working with Martin Lewis? I thought they were great together." Michael responded: "It's not for me to say but she might talk about it on Celebrity Big Brother."
