Ozzy Osbourne

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

John Michael Ozzy Osbourne was an English singer, songwriter and media personality. He was born on 3 December 1948 in Marston Green, near Birmingham, and died on 22 July 2025. In 1968 he co-founded Black Sabbath, and in the 1970s he became known as their singer. The band is regarded as a pioneer of heavy metal. Osbourne sang on the first eight studio albums, including Black Sabbath and Paranoid in 1970 and Master of Reality in 1971. In 1979 he was fired because of problems with alcohol and other drugs.

Music and breakthrough

In the 1980s he began a solo career, after Ronnie James Dio had replaced him in Black Sabbath. With guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Bob Daisley he recorded Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 and Diary of a Madman in 1981. Bark at the Moon in 1983, No More Tears in 1991 and Ordinary Man in 2020 followed, among others. In total he released thirteen solo albums, the first seven of which went multi-platinum in the United States. He reunited with Black Sabbath repeatedly, most recently in 2012, and sang on the last studio album 13 from 2013.

Influence

His wife and manager Sharon founded the festival Ozzfest, which ran from 1996 to 2010. In the 2000s he became a television star with the MTV series The Osbournes. In 2006 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Black Sabbath, and in 2024 as a solo artist as well. His name stands for the birth of heavy metal and for the theatrical rock figure who brought the music to a large audience.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1980Blizzard of Ozz
• 1981Diary of a Madman
• 1983Bark at the Moon
• 1986The Ultimate Sin
• 1988No Rest for the Wicked
• 1991No More Tears
• 1995Ozzmosis
• 2001Down to Earth
• 2005Under Cover
• 2007Black Rain
• 2010Scream
• 2020Ordinary Man
• 2022Patient Number 9

See also

• The Ultimate Sin
• Ozzmosis