From pioneering heavy metal to biting a bat, the controversial legacy of Ozzy Osbourne

Osbourne’s family did not reveal the cause of death; however, he had been treated for a variant of Parkinson’s disease in recent years. His death marks the passing of a figure who shaped heavy metal and mainstream music for over five decades, but also left behind a controversial legacy, often over his public behaviour.

Who was Ozzy Osbourne?

Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, in England, Ozzy co-founded Black Sabbath with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward in 1968. This was also the year when another heavy metal legend, the band Led Zeppelin, was founded.

Black Sabbath’s self-titled 1970 debut album laid the blueprint for heavy metal as a genre — dark, riff-heavy and thematically intense. Tracks like ‘Paranoid,’ ‘War Pigs,’ and ‘Iron Man’ melded doom-laden lyrics with blistering riffs and earned Sabbath a loyal fanbase.

The Rolling Stone magazine noted, “Even when Ozzy wasn’t the one writing the lyrics, they were inseparable from his quavering voice… pure in its earnest simplicity… He sang about the morbid sense of doom that Seventies and Eighties kids felt during the era of the superpower nuclear arms race, a topic he revisited far more than any other rock star”.

The genre took inspiration from several existing sounds and themes, including rock, which grew in the ’60s with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Just like rock, heavy metal had a focus on instrumentation and a streak of anti-establishment from the days of the counterculture movement.

Sabbath dominated the 1970s, but internal conflicts and substance abuse led to Ozzy’s departure in 1979. He rebounded with a solo career, releasing the multi‑platinum albums ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ (1980) and ‘Diary of a Madman’ (1981), featuring classics such as ‘Crazy Train,’ ‘Over the Mountain,’ and ‘Mr. Crowley’. Ozzy continued producing successful albums throughout the 1980s and ’90s and launched the hard-rock and heavy metal festival titled “Ozzfest” in 1996.

What made his stardom remarkable was that Ozzy never lost his appeal even after health setbacks and numerous controversies. A 2002 MTV reality show, ‘The Osbournes’, introduced him to a new generation with its glimpse into his family life. The show was a hit, as camera crews following celebrities around their homes was not the norm at the time.

Black Sabbath reunited several times, most recently at the Villa Park concert that was attended by more than 45,000 fans and streamed worldwide. Rolling Stone’s report said, “He did more farewell tours than Cher, Elton, and the Who combined, following up No More Tours in 1992 with his Retirement Sucks tour, then going out again in 2018 with his awesomely titled No More Tours II.”

Why was Osbourne seen as a controversial figure?

Ozzy’s public persona was defined by excess and shocking behaviour that made headlines. The most infamous incident occurred during a 1982 concert in Iowa, when he bit the head off a bat after someone threw the animal onto the stage. He later claimed he mistook it for a rubber toy, then rushed for rabies treatment.

That same wild year, he urinated at the Alamo in Texas, a historical location and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The stunt led to his arrest and a 10-year performance ban from the venue, and Osbourne later apologised for it.

Other bizarre tales from the man include “snorting” a trail of ants and killing 17 cats under the influence of drugs. His lyrics also fueled controversy, with the song ‘Suicide Solution’ leading to a lawsuit claiming it incited a teen’s suicide. Though dismissed, the case fueled moral panic over violent music. Additionally, religious leaders accused him of satanism and demonic influence — allegations he dismissed as ignorant.

With chronic drug and alcohol abuse, his addiction battles nearly derailed his life and career. Black Sabbath broke with him due to behaviours like arriving late to rehearsals and skipping performances. However, he rejoined the band in 1997.

In his MTV reality show, Ozzy oscillated between being a doting family man and a chaotic presence, reflecting his contradictory nature. In March, he and his wife, Sharon, were among the over 200 individuals from the entertainment and business sectors who signed an open letter, calling for an investigation into what they described as “systematic bias against Israel” at the BBC.

These controversies cemented Ozzy’s image as a flawed person, someone whose transgressions often overshadowed his talents. For metalheads who paid teary-eyed tributes upon his demise, the fact that he remained unapologetically himself, in all his contradictions, is what added to their appreciation for the man.

The writer is a student who is a summer intern at The Indian Express.