Came home earlier to discover Ozzy Osbourne who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, has passed away at the age of 76, just a few weeks after giving his fans, one of the greatest and most aptly timed goodbyes in music history after playing a farewell concert called Back to the Beginning in his home city of Birmingham, England. He couldn’t stand anymore but still captivated every single person in the audience.
Hey let’s not kid ourselves cats have 9 lives Ozzy must’ve had 20 !! I’m surprised he made it this far but having said that the news of his passing was somewhat unexpected.
Parkinson’s disease charities have praised Ozzy Osbourne for talking about his diagnosis and helping others “feel less alone” in facing the challenges of the condition. Parkinson’s UK said the Black Sabbath frontman “normalised tough conversations”, while Cure Parkinson’s thanked him for “putting a spotlight” on its work.
The proceeds of his final concert which raised over £150 million went to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
I was a huge admirer of the stuff he did with Sabbath and then with blizzard of ozz, but was very disappointed to say the least that he recently signed a letter to stop the BBC from airing a documentary chronicling Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and broke the boycott to perform in Israel in 2010 (Tel Aviv) and 2018 (Rishon LeZion) stating alcohol, not politics, delayed earlier visits .and urged other artists to do the same, he was not Jewish but reportedly developed a strong connection to Judaism and support for Israel probably under the influence of his wife Sharon. He was also a staunch advocate against the BDS movement and was recently among those calling for the end of boycotts against Israeli authors, festivals and literary institutions.
This came after Irish author Sally Rooney, Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and US writers Percival Everett and Rachel Kushner signed a letter along with others calling for a “mass boycott of Israeli publishers” in response to an unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and saying that “Israeli cultural institutions, often working directly with the state, have been crucial in obfuscating, disguising and artwashing” the way Palestinians are treated by Israel.
Despite serious health problems that forced him to cancel subsequent world-tour dates, Israeli promoters said Ozzy’s two shows drew tens of thousands and helped pave the way for other hard-rock acts who later ignored boycott pressure too. All this I believe to be a huge stain on his fine legacy and a far cry from his Black Sabbath days when he released the song “War Pigs”, which condemned leaders who initiate wars for profit.
Ozzy was undeniably talented but to see a man who co wrote “War Pigs” go on supporting Israel until his death despite any mental or physical condition or outside persuasion I feel is unforgivable and very hard to process because I definitely disagreed with his point of view, and was so sad to see someone I admired, very publicly supporting the oppressors side in this way.
That said, “War Pigs” Pigs, a powerful timeless anti-war/anti-genocide song that is so apposite at this present time, will far outlive the man or his personal views on Israel. I have to acknowledge too that he was no bloody saint, he was after all the prince of darkness.
Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents’ groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show “The Osbournes.”
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work, working in a slaughterhouse and spending a short spell in prison for burglary before teaming up with school friend Geezer Butler in several bands. The pair then linked up with the other founder members of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, to form what was then called Earth Blues Company – later shortened to Earth – in 1968.
Initially a Mod who loved soul music, according to his biography on the band’s official website, Osbourne crafted his darker image after writing lyrics for a song entitled Black Sabbath after the 1963 Boris Karloff film of the same name.
The name stuck – after they were forced to change it from Earth – and the band went on to sell millions of records over the next decade on the back of sound-defining tracks including Paranoid and War Pigs. A product of their working-class roots and the post-Vietnam War era, the band tackled themes of war, social chaos and the supernatural.
But drug use began to take its toll on Osbourne and his relationship with his fellow band members, and he was eventually fired in 1979. He launched a solo career, enjoying success during the 1980s, before reforming with Sabbath several times – including in 2016 for a final world tour.
As a solo artist, Osbourne released 11 albums, with his debut Blizzard Of Ozz issued in 1980, which featured two of his most revered songs, Crazy Train and Mr Crowley.
The Birmingham-born singer sold more than 100 million records worldwide with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist. In 2014, he was presented with a global icon award at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Osbourne married his first wife Thelma Riley in 1971 and became a stepfather to her son. The couple also had two children but split in 1982 after, he admitted, his rock ‘n roll lifestyle meant he put her “through hell”.
He married Sharon, the daughter of his former Black Sabbath manager Don Arden, in July of that year. The pair had met in the 1970s via her father and she took over managing Osbourne after he was booted from the heavy metal group.
Ozzy and Sharon had three children together: Jack, Kelly and Aimee. The couple became an unlikely hit after starring between 2002 and 2005 in The Osbournes, which also launched the careers of Jack and Kelly, but the pair temporarily split in 2016.
Former X Factor judge Sharon later revealed they had tried marriage counselling to get their relationship back on track – but gave up because it made him angry.
In 2017, during an interview with music magazine Rolling Stone, he joked that the secret to his marriage was “don’t get caught with your mistress”. He is quoted as telling Rolling Stone: “When I was a crazy fucker, I’m lucky she didn’t walk out. Now I’m coming on five years clean and sober, and I’ve realised what a fucking idiot I was. I mean, I’m still nuts, but in control of it a bit more.”
Osbourne added: “When I said, ‘Don’t get caught by your missus,’ I’m not proud of all that shit. I upset my wife and I upset my family and I made a lot of shock and shame. I love my wife, and it made me realise what a fucking idiot I’ve been.”
His dependence on drugs and alcohol had begun in the early 1970s while he was associated with Black Sabbath and worsened as his stardom grew. Even after making tremendous strides as a solo artist, Ozzy’s struggles with addiction persisted for many years, frequently drawing public attention with his erratic behaviors and close encounters with death.
His decades-long battle with addiction kept him in the headlines, but his ultimate pledge to sobriety served as an inspiration to many music enthusiasts.
And though I can't forgive him for what I've mentioned earlier, I never quite gave up on him and will not stop listening to my old Black Sabbath LPs to remind myself of who he once was. Black Sabbath’s 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock ’n’ roll.
The band’s second album, “Paranoid,” included such classic metal tunes as the aforementioned “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Fairies Wear Boots.” The song “Paranoid” only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band’s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.
I also remember as a heavy metal fan in my teens that Ozzy Osbourne and Sabbath moretheless created heavy metal…and with it, they created a world in which generations of people like me, could feel accepted and welcome…safe and free to be their authentic selves knowing that they won’t ever be alone, that counters the other stuff a bit and am also pretty sure he was guided by Sharon since he wasn’t very cognizant in his final days and his music got me through some pretty shit periods in my life, so call me a hypocrite but Rest in peace, Ozzy.
Sadly War Pigs are still playing their games - may we put them to an end one day. I so wish Ozzy was taking them away with him. Lets remember Ozzy who had a peaceful death in a clean, safe, caring environment, with medicine to help him pass unlike the 20,000 Gazan children who have died aged 0-15 in completely different circumstances.
Black Sabbath - War Pigs
Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerer of death's construction
In the fields, the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh, Lord, yeah
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that all to the poor, yeah
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait till their judgment day comes, yeah
Now, in darkness, world stops turning
Ashes where their bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of Judgment, God is calling
On their knees, the war pigs crawling
Begging mercies for their sins
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings
Oh, Lord, yeah
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