I was in two minds whether or not I should even write anything. I mean, it’s not like I knew the man personally. However, the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I needed to say something. Ozzy Osbourne was such a cultural touchstone of my life. He was ever present, be it in music, TV or Film; the man felt like he was everywhere. I guess I just wanted my chance to say goodbye to a man that shaped my life, even indirectly. I was a kid, maybe 10 or 11, when I first came across a band called Black Sabbath on my Dad’s computer; along with names like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Dio. I heard the crazy man with a worbled voice singing over dark-infected blues music, and I knew that I wanted nothing more than to listen to this type of music forever. It led me into the weird world of heavy metal. Not just a genre, but a culture, one that accepted me, a culture where I found my friends and a world I felt at home.
It wasn’t just in the world of music when I heard Ozzy. The Osbournes were very much in the cultural zeitgeist, with their reality show on TV. Ozzy was referenced in so much of the media I consumed. From the film Little Nicky, to Family Guy and in various other teen-aimed shows and films. It genuinely felt like no matter where I turned, Ozzy was somehow there. Always with a smile and always presenting himself in all of his weird and fantastical glory. As a young impressionable boy, I saw this man who was just unashamed of himself, and I thought, “Man, that’s an idol”.
However, this is a music blog, so let me just talk about how much I appreciate the man’s music. Oh man, where do I even start with it? I guess, I can relay my experience of hearing it, peppered in with some stories. When I was getting into blogging around the age of 18, on PureVolume.com. My favourite thing to do was just to sit at the family PC for hours on hours and listen to random music videos on YouTube. At this time, I was also really getting into playing the guitar, so I would watch video tutorials by amazing guitar players. One such musician was the Greek titan of guitar, Gus G. And what do you know, Gus G had been announced as the new lead guitarist in Ozzy’s solo project for the album Scream. I scoured the platform looking for grainy concert footage of Gus playing some of the most iconic guitar lines from Ozzy’s catalogue. I went to iTunes and got the album, not just for Gus’ excellent guitar solos, but this was the first album from Ozzy that I purchased. It wouldn’t be the last.
Fast forward to 2012 and Black Sabbath announced that they would be headlining the infamous Download Festival. I had already gone to the previous year's event, and I was eager to see them, along with a fantastic lineup. That weekend was a mix of emotions for me, but the weekend ended with the headline set from Black Sabbath. They followed a set from Soundgarden, which was already amazing. Anyway, finally getting to see Ozzy perform on stage and hearing classics like “Children Of The Grave”, “N.I.B.”, “Iron Man” and “Paranoid” was like a culmination of my metal fandom, being let loose. Ozzy was such an amazing performer. Even in his early 60s, the man was the king of charisma. He just had this way of drawing people in and getting people involved in the set. I remember standing in that field in Donnington, surrounded by other fans just having a great time. You could tell that Ozzy was just having the best time, and how much he appreciated the audience.
I would go on to see Black Sabbath two more times. Both of those times were at Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium. I remember going to the 2014 event. It was my first time in a foreign country by myself, and Black Sabbath headlined the Sunday night. Getting to experience the fandom and fervour abroad in a crowd where English was not the primary language was something else. This was an amazing opportunity and I’m so glad I got to experience it. Much like when I went back to Graspop in 2016, where Black Sabbath headlined the Sunday again. Each time, Ozzy was the most captivating thing of the whole weekend. It truly felt like he was immortal. His charm, passion, charisma and energy were infectious. All three times I got to see him perform, you could tell that this was his life and he loved it so, so much.
The more I read about Ozzy, the more I respected his life. Not only his autobiography, but also how he was mentioned in other musicians’ books. It seems that everyone in the heavy-metal world respected the man. I mean, can you blame them? Without Ozzy, heavy metal wouldn’t exist in its current form. He always stood as an ambassador of metal to popular culture. Most of all, Ozzy was, and always will be, a titan of the metal world. His death can be felt across all facets of popular culture. So many lives he affected, directly or indirectly. As for me, I just wanted to pay my respects. Thank you, Ozzy. Thank you for the music, for the memories, for being you. As the quiet kid who found his home in the house that you built, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough. You were a fantastic performer, your music is so influential, your legacy will live on.
Thank you, Ozzy Osbourne.
Rest in peace.
1948 - 2025
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