Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne was born John Michael Osbourne on November 8, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham, . Born into extreme poverty, Osbourne’s parents often fought over lack of money, and Ozzy tried to alleviate the situation by getting a job at age fifteen as a plumber's assistant. Next, he worked as a toolmaker's apprentice and then in a slaughterhouse for two years, killing cows. Osbourne also worked as an auto mechanic, house painter, and a mortuary worker. Though he was a hard worker, he also spent various stints behind bars for burglary and assault, before eventually finding his way to music.
Inspired by the success of another British band, the Beatles, Osbourne joined various bands before before finally teaming up with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward to form heavy metal band, Black Sabbath. After Black Sabbath’s 1978 album Never Say Die, Osbourne was fired from the band, and set out to pursue other endeavors.
After marrying Sharon Arden, Osbourne formed his own band, the Blizzard of Ozz, which his wife managed. The band’s lyrics focused on occult themes, and spawned hit singles such as “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley.” Meanwhile, as Osbourne was experiencing success with his new band, album sales for Black Sabbath started to wane.
However, controversy soon erupted for Osbourne after one fateful performance when an audience member threw a real bat on stage, which Osbourne thought was plastic and proceeded to bite off the head. The show was canceled and Osbourne was promptly rushed to the hospital for a rabies vaccination. In another incident, Osbourne showed up drunk at meeting with Epic Records executives touting two doves. This time, he bit the head off of the winged animal on purpose.
Controversy continued to escalate in the mid-80s when Osbourne joined the ranks of heavy metal musicians who were accused of encouraging suicide amongst listeners via subliminal messages. Osbourne claimed that the song in question, “Suicide Solution,” was written about the effects of alcohol abuse.
In the mid-90s, Osbourne resurfaced with the Ozzmosis tour and album, followed by Ozzfest, a tour package that featured Osbourne along with various heavy metal bands. With the exception of Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair, Ozzfest was the most successful tour of 1997.
Osbourne continued to release albums into the new millennium, but would soon shift his focus from the stage to the small-screen. After appearing on an episode of MTV's Cribs with his family, Osbourne and the network's producers created The Osbournes, one of the most successful shows in the history of the network and a trailblazer in reality TV.
The show was met with critical success and regenerated interest in the self-proclaimed “Prince of Darkness,” now in his 50s. The Osbournes portrayed Ozzy as a slow-moving but quick-witted father; wife, Sharon, as a stable influence and savvy manager; and kids, Jack and Kelly, as bratty but independent teens who have each made separate forays into the music industry – Jack, as an Epic records talent scout; and Kelly, as a singer.
Osbourne has five children from two marriages: with first wife Thelma Riley, he adopted her son, Elliot Kingsley (born in 1966); and also had a daughter, Jessica Starshine Osbourne Hobbs (born in 1972); and a son, Louis John Osbourne (born in 1975). With current wife, Sharon, Osbourne has daughter, Kelly Osbourne (born in 1984); son, Jack Osbourne (born in 1985); and daughter, Aimee Osbourne (born in 1983), who opted not to appear in the reality show, The Osbournes, and as a result, moved out of the family home. |
