He was born Dec. 3, 1948, in Birmingham, England. His given name was John Michael Osbourne, though in his teen years would be nicknamed “Ozzy,” a monicker that would stick and make him a household name feared by many and revered by millions of fans worldwide.
I was among those fans, officially tuning in after the release of the “No More Tears” album in 1991, although as a wee lad the classic “Crazy Train” had already been etched into my audial canals. During my rebellious teenage years I collected much of Ozzy’s discography, from Black Sabbath’s self-titled freshman album to my personal favorite, “Ozzmosis”.
Ozzy was bigger than his music. He was a demigod. I simply couldn’t get enough of Ozzy — I spent countless hours researching his life on the World Wide Web, back when online information was much harder to come by. I read about his youth, his first marriage, his drug addiction, his second wind after Sabbath dissolved. I watched every Ozzy-related segment that aired on VH1 and MTV.
A former stepmother of mine, a teetotaler who couldn’t grasp what rock music is all about, once forced me to break my entire Ozzy CD collection, then toss it in the fireplace to watch it burn. I was crushed, but what she didn’t realize is that I had more than one hiding place, as well as older siblings who didn’t mind supplying me with Ozzy’s music.
When The Osbournes aired, I realized I was no longer alone in Ozzymania. Still, I retained more knowledge, albeit useless, than most about the Prince of Darkness.
As the years passed and Ozzy’s diminishing health made the occasional national headline, I knew the news of his death would eventually come; still, one is never really prepared to say goodbye to a childhood hero. I’m thankful that he was able to go out with a final performance just a couple of weeks ago.
Ozzy might be gone, but his legacy will continue to rock future generations — and, likely, keep teenagers banging their heads and defying their parents for years to come.
While this might be Goodbye to Romance, we’ll See You and the Other Side.
Joel Phelps is editor and publisher of arkadelphian.com. Facts about Ozzy Osbourne’s life in this column were recited from memory.
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