Best known as the “Prince of Darkness,” Ozzy Osbourne was an English singer and songwriter born in Marston Green, United Kingdom. Osbourne was a prominent figure within the rock genre and is acknowledged as the pioneer of heavy metal. This past summer, on July 22, Ozzy Osbourne passed away in Jordan, United Kingdom. He is survived by his wife, Shanon Osbourne, and his six children.
During the height of his career, Ozzy Osbourne was the lead singer and co-founder of the band Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath was awarded a Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2014 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. However, the group disbanded on July 5, 2025, mere days before Osbournes’s death.
Mr. Blackwelder, a math teacher at Millbrook, said, “I think Black Sabbath is the original metal band, so I give Ozzy a lot of credit for that slowed down, loud, crunchy sound that led to some of my favorite bands like Metallica, Slayer, Pantera. Those bands wouldn’t exist without Ozzy.”
Music isn’t the only highlight of Osbourne’s life. In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne married Shanon Arden. Osbourne referred to her as his “North Star” and his home because of the love and stability she brought to his life. Shannon acted as a stable force within Osbourne’s life even through his ups and downs. Shannon and Ozzy Osbourne had three children together: Aimee, Kelly, and Jackson Osbourne.
Ozzy Osbourne didn’t receive the title of “The Prince of Darkness” without reason. During Osbourne’s show in Des Moines in 1981, he did a common segment of his show where he threw raw meat into the crowd, and spectators promptly threw back at the stage any objects that they were able to sneak into the show. An object that made its way onto the stage was a bat, which Osbourne believed to be made of rubber, but in actuality was a real, dead bat. With performance and the crowd in mind, Osbourne made a dramatic gesture of biting the head of the bat off, resulting in lots of press attention and ultimately affirming his reputation as a madman.
When Mr. Blackwelder was asked about the bat biting incident and its impact on Osbournes’ reputation, he said, “I think it helped; that’s what everyone associates with him. The metalheads love it, and I think it makes him more of a legend.”
Ozzy Osbourne was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. First, with Black Sabbath in 2006 and then again for his solo career in 2024. Despite facing and overcoming substance abuse issues, Osbourne was able to reinvent himself and maintain a memorable career.
Mr. Grow, a history teacher at Millbrook, described Osbourne and his career as “Beautiful, poetic, and stereotyped.” Further saying, “He didn’t fit into society’s box.” Even after his death, Osbourne continues to leave an impact on the music industry and the youth associated with it. His songs, such as “Crazy Train,” “Close My Eyes Forever,” and “Paranoid,” remain iconic rock songs across multiple music platforms today.
Mr. Blackwelder believes one thing to be true, “Students today should appreciate where music has come from and the sounds that were created before them. I think it gives some perspective on where we are now and maybe how progressive their music was.”
