Born John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne on December 3, 1948, in the industrial grit of Birmingham, England’s Aston neighborhood, Ozzy grew up in a working-class family of six siblings. His father, John Thomas, was a toolmaker, and his mother, Lillian, a homemaker, instilled values of perseverance amid post-war poverty. School was a nightmare for the dyslexic and ADHD-afflicted boy, who endured bullying, sexual abuse at age 11, and multiple suicide attempts as a teen. Expelled for truancy, Ozzy left education at 15, cycling through dead-end jobs: laborer, car horn tuner, slaughterhouse worker, and even a brief prison stint for burglary in 1965.

Music became his escape. Inspired by The Beatles’ “She Loves You” at 14, Ozzy declared, “I’m going to be a rock star the rest of my life.” He bought a guitar on hire-purchase, forming his first band, Rare Breed, in 1967 with future Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. After it fizzled, they recruited guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, initially as Polka Tulk Blues Band, then Earth—renamed Black Sabbath after a horror film marathon sparked Ozzy’s dark lyrical vision.

Black Sabbath’s self-titled 1970 debut, recorded for £500, unleashed down-tuned riffs, occult imagery, and Ozzy’s haunting wail on tracks like the title song and “The Wizard.” Paranoid (1970) followed, topping UK charts with anthems “War Pigs” (a Vietnam protest), “Iron Man,” and the title track—written in 25 minutes about anxiety. Albums like Master of Reality (1971) and Vol. 4 (1972) delved deeper into doom and drug-fueled introspection, with “Snowblind” a cocaine ode.

Tours were grueling, amplifying Ozzy’s substance abuse—alcohol, cocaine, and pills—as the “Madman of Rock” persona emerged. By Never Say Die! (1978), internal tensions peaked; Ozzy was fired in 1979 for unreliability, replaced by Ronnie James Dio. Devastated, he attempted suicide, but Sharon Arden—daughter of his manager Don Arden—saw potential, becoming his wife in 1982 and steering his solo path.

Reunions followed: 1997 Ozzfest co-headlines, 2012’s 13 album (Grammy for “God Is Dead?”), and a 2017 farewell tour. Sabbath’s influence birthed metal, inspiring Metallica, Slayer, and beyond.

Ozzy’s 1980 solo debut Blizzard of Ozz, with guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads, exploded with “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley,” selling 5 million in the US alone. Tragedy struck in 1982 when Rhoads died in a plane crash; Ozzy mourned by dedicating Diary of a Madman (1981) to him. Hits like “Bark at the Moon” (1983) and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (1991, with Zakk Wylde) followed, alongside albums No More Tears (1991) and Ozzmosis (1995).

His stage antics—snorting ants, biting a bat’s head (thinking it fake, requiring rabies shots), and urinating on the Alamo—fueled tabloids and lawsuits, including from parents blaming “Suicide Solution” for teen deaths. Ozzfest (1996–2018), co-founded with Sharon, launched stars like Slipknot and launched Ozzy’s empire. By 2022’s Patient Number 9, his 13th solo album, he’d outsold Sabbath’s post-Ozzy output.

Ozzy’s personal life mirrored his music’s turmoil. Married to Thelma Riley from 1971–1982, he adopted son Elliot and had Jessica and Louis; drugs strained the union. With Sharon, he welcomed Aimee (1983), Kelly (1984), and Jack (1985), adopting Elliot later. Infidelity led to a 2016 separation, but they reconciled; Sharon’s 2021 cancer battle and Ozzy’s 2023 home invasion added trials.

Addiction ravaged him—decades of excess culminated in 2019 rehab and a 2020 Parkinson’s diagnosis (known since 2003). A 2019 quad bike accident fused vertebrae; by 2025, he couldn’t walk unaided, yet quipped, “I’ve got more f—ing metal in me than a scrap merchant.” Sober by May 2025, he embraced homebody life.

The Osbournes (2002–2005) humanized him, earning an Emmy and introducing his bumbling dad charm to millions. Memoirs I Am Ozzy (2009) and posthumous Last Rites (2025) chronicled his nine lives.

Ozzy’s swan song was the July 5, 2025, “Back to the Beginning” benefit at Birmingham’s Villa Park—a 10-hour spectacle with Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, and Pantera. Delayed from 2024 by health woes, it reunited Sabbath’s original lineup (Iommi, Butler, Ward) for the first time since 2005. Rising on a throne, Ozzy delivered solo hits “I Don’t Know,” “Crazy Train,” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” his voice defying frailty amid rigorous therapy.

The Sabbath finale—”War Pigs,” “N.I.B.,” “Iron Man,” “Paranoid“—drew 40,000 fans and global livestream tears. “This is my full stop,” Sharon said, as murals, a museum exhibit, and Freeman honors celebrated his roots. Seventeen days later, Ozzy died peacefully at home, surrounded by family.

Ozzy’s shadow looms eternal. With Black Sabbath, he co-invented heavy metal—tritone riffs, minor keys, and apocalyptic lyrics birthing a genre that spawned Metallica, Pantera, and Slipknot. Solo, his power ballads and shock rock redefined the “Madman” archetype, outselling Sabbath’s later eras and earning dual Rock Hall inductions (2006 with band, 2007 solo).

Ranked among Rolling Stone‘s greatest singers, Ozzy’s wail—melancholy yet defiant—influenced five decades, from grunge to nu-metal. Ozzfest launched icons; The Osbournes bridged metal to pop culture. Amid controversies—Satanism accusations, PMRC censorship—his authenticity empowered outcasts.

Posthumous tributes flood in: exhibitions extended to 2026, a BBC documentary, and murals immortalize him. As Lars Ulrich said, Ozzy gave “permission to five decades of miscreants” to rage loudly. Grammy winner, icon, survivor—his nine lives reshaped music’s dark heart.

Rest in power, Ozzy.

The darkness you chased burns brighter for it.

As a music fanatic, I decided to make a list of famous musicians who are vegansvegetarians (either for ethical or dietary purposes), as well as animal rights advocates and environmentalists. This is our thank-you to all of them for being devoted, inspiring and thoughtful of innocent beings in need of our compassion and mercy.

– Sir Paul McCartney of The Beatles [¹]
– Krist Novoselic of Nirvana
– Robert Smith of The Cure
– Peter Gabriel of Genesis
– Robin Gibb of Bee Gees
– Thom Yorke of Radiohead
– Peter Murphy of Bauhaus
– Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxise and the Banshees
– Antony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers
– John Marr of The Smiths & Modest Mouse [²]
– Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie & The Postal Service
– Tim Commerford of Rage Against The Machine
– Robin Pechnold of Fleet Foxes
– All members of 30 Seconds To Mars
– Sherif Sami of Go! Save The Hostages
– Moataz Rashad Malinky of The Chicken Came First

– Bryan Adams

– Moby
– Pink
– Justin Timberlake
– Shania Twain
– Avril Lavigne
– Joy Valencia

                                                           Moby

– Geezer Butler & Bill Ward of Black Sabbath
– Kirk Hammett of Metallica
– Attila Csihar of Mayhem
– Bill Steer of Napalm Death
– Gaahl of Gorgoroth [³]
– Rikki Rockett of Poison
– Kin Owen & Jiff Walker of Carcass
– Rob Zombie
– Mille Petrozza of Kreator
– Ville Valo of HIM
– Marco Benevento of The Foreshadowing & How Like A Winter
– Derrick Green of Sepeltura
– Serj Tankian of System of a Down
– Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy
– Liv Kristine of Theatre of Tragedy
– Alissa White-Gluz of The Agonist
– Fallon Bowman of Kittie
– Chris Adler of Lamb of God
– Brian Fair of Shadows Fall
– Oliver Skyes of Bring Me The Horizon
– 4 members (out of 5) of Between The Buried And Me
– Jona Weinhofen of Bleeding Through & I Killed The Prom Queen
– All members of Heaven Shall Burn
– Ted Kirkpatrick of Tourniquet [4]

Zombie

                
Gossow                                                            Benevento

Heaven Shall Burn                                              Kirkpatrick

1. Watch “Glass Walls“, a documentary on factory farmed animals narrated by Paul McCartney.

2. Watch Modest Mouse’s “King Rat“, a music video opposing illegal commercial whale hunt and directed by deceased actor Heath Ledger. The song’s 1st month of iTunes purchases was donated to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

3. Not confirmed.

4. The American Christian Metal band addresses animal abuse in their lyrics and has a tribute song “86 Bullets” to Tyke the circus elephant who was shot 86 times. The band also runs a Facebook page The Tourniquet Ark in association with The Barking Army, promoting awareness against animal cruelty.

*Special thanks goes to Francesco Sosto of The Foreshadowing and Ted Kirkpatrick of Tourniquet.