Ozzy Osbourne was an English singer and songwriter whose work with Black Sabbath and subsequent solo career helped establish heavy metal as a major international genre. Born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, he formed Black Sabbath with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, emerging from the city’s industrial environment with a dark, heavily amplified sound that transformed the direction of rock music.
After leaving Black Sabbath in 1979, Osbourne launched an enormously successful solo career with Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, both shaped by the groundbreaking guitar work of Randy Rhoads. Albums including Bark at the Moon, The Ultimate Sin, No Rest for the Wicked, No More Tears and Ozzmosis produced enduring songs such as Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, Mama, I’m Coming Home and No More Tears.
Beyond his recordings, Osbourne founded the Ozzfest touring festival and reached a new mainstream audience through the television series The Osbournes. He later reunited with Black Sabbath for the album 13 and the band’s final tour. His thirteenth and final solo studio album, Patient Number 9, was released in 2022 and won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Best Metal Performance.
Osbourne gave his final performance at Birmingham’s Back to the Beginning concert on 5 July 2025 and died on 22 July at the age of seventy-six. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Black Sabbath in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024, he remains one of heavy metal’s most recognizable and influential figures.
