Life on a 'Crazy Train': A timeline of Ozzy Osbourne's odyssey
There may be no more fitting tribute to the beloved Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, than his haunting ballad "Mama, I’m Coming Home," following his death Tuesday morning in Birmingham, England—the city where he was born 76 years ago.
His death came just weeks after reuniting with his band Black Sabbath for a final farewell show in England.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, he became one of the most influential rock musicians of the 20th century as both lead singer of Black Sabbath and as a prolific solo artist.
In his five decades of making music, he was awarded five Grammys and Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
Ozzy Osbourne through the years
Throughout his life, Osbourne was known for crazy antics like eating a live bat on stage, eating a live dove in a meeting with record executives and being jailed for urinating on the Alamo Cenotaph.
Osbourne also achieved reality TV star fame with “The Osbournes,” a show that followed his family and aired on MTV for four seasons beginning in 2002.
He also dealt with rampant drug addiction and alcoholism, ultimately achieving sobriety and releasing his penultimate 2020 album: “Ordinary Man.”
He leaves behind Sharon Osbourne, his wife of more than 40 years, as well as daughters Jessica, Aimee and Kelly and sons Elliot, Louis and Jack.
The news of his passing may be addressed best by Osbourne himself with these lyrics from the 1980 song “Goodbye to Romance” from his inaugural solo album “Blizzard of Ozz”:
“I say goodbye to romance, yeah
Goodbye to friends, I tell you
Goodbye to all the past
I guess that we'll meet, we'll meet in the end.”
Read more: Rock star Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76, weeks after final Black Sabbath show
(This story was updated to include video.)