From Sabbath to solo: The life of the great Ozzy Osbourne
The recent passing of heavy metal and rock singer, songwriter and media personality Ozzy Osbourne has spread sadness throughout the world.
Ozzy’s life was full of many controversial moments both in his career and his personal life.
Here, Music News Blitz writer Evie Scroggie delivers a timeline of what she believes to be Osbourne’s most monumental moments.
December 3, 1948
Ozzy Osbourne - real name John Michael Osbourne - was born in Birmingham, England to parents Lillian and John Thomas Osbourne.
His mother was a non-observant Catholic who worked in a factory, whilst his father was a toolmaker at the General Electric Company.
1966
At the age of 17, Ozzy was sentenced to prison, convicted for robbing a clothing store.
He couldn’t afford to pay the fine, and his father refused to bail him out. Therefore he served six weeks in Winson Green Prison.
February 13, 1970
Their debut album Black Sabbath was released in the UK by the band in early 1970.
However, the band was originally formed in late 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler under different names including ‘Polka Tulk Blues Band’ and ‘Earth’.
August 1969 is when they changed their band name to ‘Black Sabbath’.
April 27, 1979
In 1979, whilst preparing for their next album, Ozzy Osbourne was officially fired from Black Sabbath as the band decided they could no longer put up with his heavy drug abuse.
His intoxicated behaviour led him to miss rehearsals, turn up completely incoherent or just vanish.
Ozzy later admitted that during the time he was fired, he was incredibly high and stated that it took him a while to process what had happened.
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September 20, 1980
Ozzy’s debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, was released in the UK. It was later released in the United States on March 27, 1981.
January 20, 1982
During a 1982 concert in Des Moines, Iowa, Ozzy bit the head off of a bat. A fan threw what Ozzy believed to be a rubber toy onto the stage, and he therefore bit its head off as part of his stage act.
Upon realisation that it was a real bat, Ozzy was immediately taken to a hospital and received treatment and rabies vaccinations.
July 4, 1982
In 1982, Ozzy married Sharon Arden, now Sharon Osbourne, in Hawaii on Independence Day.
The pair had been romantically involved with each other since 1979, whilst Sharon was managing Ozzy’s solo career.
Ozzy jokingly stated that they chose Independence Day so that he would never forget their anniversary and always be reminded by the fireworks.
July 13, 1985
Ozzy reunited with the band Black Sabbath at the Live Aid concert in 1985.
Live Aid was a benefit concert simultaneously held in both Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia (where Black Sabbath performed). The concert raised millions to be donated towards famine relief in Ethiopia.
This was seen as a one-off reunion between Ozzy and the band, they were not officially back together.
October 25/26 1996
The first Ozzfest tour, a two-day festival taking place in Phoenix, Arizona and Devore, California, was held in 1996.
Ozzfest was held almost annually after that until 2018, across the United States, sometimes across Europe and later Japan.
The tour featured performances from Ozzy Osbourne and other heavy metal and rock bands.
March 5, 2002
TV series ‘The Osbournes’ premiered on MTV in March 2002. Its first season was cited as the most-viewed MTV series the channel had ever aired.
The show followed the domestic life of Ozzy and his wife Sharon, along with their children, Jack and Kelly.
Their other child, Aimee, was not featured on the show as she often disagreed with her parents’ behaviour and refused to participate.
The series features monumental family moments, such as Sharon’s battle with cancer and a major vehicular accident Ozzy was involved in.
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October 1, 2009
Ozzy’s autobiography ‘I am Ozzy’ was officially published in late 2009.
The book chronicles Ozzy’s life from childhood and through his career both with Black Sabbath and solo.
The autobiography is known to be praised for both its level of detail but also its humour.
July 5, 2025
Ozzy Osbourne performed his final concert alongside Black Sabbath at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday, July 5, 2025.
The concert acted as a farewell show for the band, streamed globally in order to raise money for charities such as Cure Parkinsons, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Ozzy appeared seated on a black throne, accompanied by other performances from metal and rock stars such as Metallica and Guns N’ Roses.
July 22, 2025
At the age of 76, Ozzy Osbourne sadly passed away on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
His cause of death has not yet been officially released, though it is known that he had been struggling with many health problems, such as Parkinson’s Disease in which he was diagnosed with in 2019.
A statement from his family reads “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.”
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