Earlier this week, I said that life not being fair is one of the few things you can count on. Well, I’ve been proven correct, because Ozzy Osbourne is gone, and the music world lost a giant this week. On July 22nd, 2025, Ozzy “Prince of Darkness” Osbourne passed away due to ongoing medical complications. The man lived life surrounded by a massive cloud of chaos, but his heart was even bigger.
The godfather of heavy metal was born in Birmingham, England, and was raised as just a regular person in the working class. He initially rose to fame in the 1970s as the lead singer of Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath was the first band of its kind, due largely to Ozzy paving the way for heavy metal. He practically invented the genre before people even knew what to call it. He had a way of blending menace with magic, ensuring that there was darkness in the sound but shimmering brilliance in the performance. That trend didn’t change when Osbourne decided to try his hand at a solo career post–Black Sabbath. “Crazy Train?” That iconic song was his debut solo single.
While the Prince of Darkness will be remembered for the way his music shaped the heavy metal genre, behind the music was the kind of love and devotion most people only dream of. Sharon Osbourne was more than just a wife—she was his manager, his protector, his soulmate, occasionally his wrangler, and the mother of his children. Their relationship lasted through decades marked by scandals and rehab stints, because despite the very real Crazy Train that Ozzy tended to ride, they stuck together like eyeliner and leather pants. Together, they had three children (Aimee, Kelly, and Jack) whom they were devoted to. The entire family became a fixture of MTV-era pop culture with their reality show, and audiences worldwide were engrossed in finding out what the Osbourne family was up to. The love that Sharon and Ozzy shared was the kind of rare, beautiful thing that reminded everyone around them that there are some people in this world who have a clear soulmate they are meant to be with and fight for. Sharon stayed with Ozzy until his last breath, because that was where she belonged.
Ozzy’s legacy is one of screams—but also softness. The godfather of metal who once bit the head off a bat had a reputation for being incredibly kind to his fans (and he later admitted he thought the bat was a rubber toy in the moment). One look at the tributes pouring in for Ozzy reveals countless stories of how he always took time to speak with fans, would sign absolutely anything for them, and generally made the weirdos and outcasts who showed up for him feel seen and valued. For someone who was such a showman onstage, he was shockingly gentle offstage. His drug and alcohol use eventually caught up with him, and he suffered from health problems later in life, but he never let that stop him from being funny and self-aware in public appearances.
Ozzy Osbourne took his final bow onstage when he performed at the Black Sabbath farewell concert on July 5th, passing away only 17 days later. The Prince of Darkness may be gone, but his music won’t be going quiet anytime soon. Whether you first heard Ozzy through Black Sabbath, his solo albums, or the reality TV chaos, you felt the Ozzy effect. The world of music is forever changed because of this giant of a man, and I hope you’ll join me in fervently wishing Sharon and the entire Osbourne family well as they begin grieving. Ozzy, we’re gonna miss the hell out of you.
