Legendary heavy metal pioneer Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76

Legendary heavy metal pioneer Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76

Ozzy Osbourne, the founder and frontman of the legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has died at the age of 76. He is considered one of the genre's most important pioneers and leaves behind a lasting musical legacy. He was bound to a contract by his distinctive voice and scandalous performances, which caused a stir in the music scene. However, these shocking moments were only a fraction of his impressive career, which was marked by personal struggles and triumphant successes. Kosmo reports that Osbourne struggled with health problems in the last years of his life, which increasingly kept him out of the public eye.

Born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, Ozzy experienced a challenging childhood, growing up in poverty with seven siblings. His school years were marked by learning problems, including dyslexia, and he often stood out as the class clown. Osbourne also had traumatic experiences of sexual abuse in his youth, which he later openly discussed. According to Kosmo, he found support in his wife Sharon and through therapeutic help, which helped him come to terms with this past.

Musical breakthrough and success

At 15, Osbourne dropped out of school and began working in various jobs, including at a slaughterhouse and a car factory. After a brief period of crime, he devoted himself to music, inspired by the Beatles. In 1968 he founded the Polka Tulk Blues Band with his school friends, which was soon renamed Black Sabbath. The band released iconic albums such as “Paranoid” and “Master of Reality”, shaping a whole new genre of music that is still influential today.

Although Osbourne was released from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his drug problems, he managed a successful solo career. He further expanded his status with his debut album “Blizzard of Ozz” and numerous hits. In 1982, he married Sharon Osbourne, who proved to be a significant support for his career. In the 1990s, the couple founded the music festival Ozzfest, which quickly became an important platform for emerging heavy metal bands, and Osbourne sold over 100 million records worldwide.

An unforgettable legacy

His popularity was further boosted by the reality television series “The Osbournes,” which opened him up to a wider audience. In 2013, Black Sabbath celebrated a comeback with the album “13” before the band said goodbye with “The End Tour” in 2016 and 2017. Despite health challenges, Osbourne had to cancel his planned farewell solo tour, “No More Tours II.” In 2020 he fell ill with pneumonia, but was still inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

His final performance with Black Sabbath was in Birmingham, and Osbourne leaves behind a significant musical legacy that has influenced many subsequent bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slipknot. He shaped the cultural image of the rock star while showing a vulnerable side to his reality. According to the book “Heavy Metal and Social Change” by Marco Swiniartzki, which deals with the social history of musical culture, Osbourne made a significant contribution to the development of heavy metal and its cultural significance with his music and personality De Gruyter Brill.