LOS ANGELES — A balladeer in the body of a headbanger, Ozzy Osbourne brought soul and emotion to the heavy metal genre he helped invent as the frontman of Black Sabbath and which he turned into a global force as an outrage-courting solo act. Osbourne, who died Tuesday at 76 — just weeks after he gave what he billed as his final performance in his hometown of Birmingham, England — sold tens of millions of albums, was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and late in life found an unlikely second career as a pioneering reality-television star.
Here, in the order they were released, are 10 of his essential songs.Ozzy Osbourne, iconic frontman of Birmingham’s Black Sabbath, died on Tuesday, July 22 aged 76 and tributes are pouring in for the Prince of Darkness.
Back on Saturday, July 5, Ozzy – born John Michael Osbourne in Aston – performed for the final time in the neighbourhood where it all began.
From a throne at Villa Park Stadium, the artist performed two goodbye sets, playing music from his time as a solo artist and reunited with Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler for a four-song Black Sabbath bow.
Read more: ‘Ozzy Osbourne has died but what he’s given to Birmingham endures’
A father of six children and husband of Sharon Osbourne since 1982, the star leaves behind a family that has asked for privacy in their time of grief, as well as millions of fans around the globe who are coming together to mourn.
Leave a Reply