The Prince of Darkness: Ozzy Osbourne’s Most Iconic Moments
By El Weiss
Image Sourced through Pinterest
Ozzy Osbourne’s journey through the world of rock and roll was nothing short of legendary. Lovingly known as the Prince of Darkness, he co-founded Black Sabbath in 1968, and Osbourne became a genre-defining figure of heavy metal. His chaotic and often messy yet undeniably charismatic career spanned decades, ranging from solo work to bands. Osbourne is a true testament to what it means to be a rock star.
Like many musicians, his path was met with challenges such as addiction. In 2003, Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which ultimately altered his professional and personal life. Despite this, he continued to pursue his passion for music and his deep love for his family. On July 5th, in Birmingham, England, along with the rest of Black Sabbath, he performed his final concert, “Back to the Beginning.” On July 22nd, it was announced that the Prince of Darkness had passed away.
Through all the ups and downs, Osbourne’s legacy as both a pioneer in heavy metal and a cultural icon has remained to this day and will continue to impact the music industry. In 2006, Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2024, as a solo artist. Whether it was on his reality TV show, performances, or personal life, his moments in the spotlight were nothing short of extraordinary. In honor of the beloved Ozzy, let’s relive some of his most memorable moments.
Image Sourced through Pinterest
An Infamous Trip to the White House
While attending a press event in 2002, President W. Bush gave a shoutout to the rock star who didn’t fail to seize the moment. Osbourne jumped onto a table, throwing kisses to the crowd, and basking in the attention. With a final bow, Bush settled him down by telling everyone that the shout-out “might have been a mistake.”
Hotel Shennanigans
In 1995, during one of his infamous hotel stays, Osbourne went wild in full rockstar fashion. “I ripped the window open, picked it up and threw it out of the fuckin’ window,” he recalled in 2019. The TV exploded on the ground. “It landed on the floor and fuckin’ exploded. It went like a bomb. Little did I know that there was a guy smoking a cigarette, and I shudder to think if that had hit him on the head. I would have killed him stone fuckin’ dead.”
Image Sourced through Pinterest
Lines of Ants
In the ‘80s, Osbourne and Mötley Crüe were on tour and as usual, were heavily intoxicated. One day, by the pool, Osbourne spotted a trail of ants leading to a popsicle. As one does, he got on all fours and snorted the ants as if he were doing a line. Crüe drummer Tommy Lee recalled, “So Ozzy’s wasted. He sees there’s a little trail of ants going all the way to this kid’s popsicle that he left on the ground. And Ozzy looks down and fucking just snorts the line of ants going to the popsicle.”
Let Them Throw Raw Meat (And Bats)
Osbourne’s love of chaos notably extended into his stage performances, especially during his Diary of a Madman tour. True to himself, he thought it would be a funny bit to throw raw meat into the crowd. Inspired by his fandom of old movies with custard-pie fights, he said “It gave me this idea to throw, instead of pie, bits of meat and animal parts into the audience.They’d throw back] sheep testicles, live snakes, dead rats, all kinds of things. Someone once threw a live frog onto onstage.” Feeding off of his energy, it extended to fans who started bringing meat and dead animals to throw on stage. Then came the infamous night in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1982. During the carnage, a concertgoer threw a live bat onstage, which was mistaken for a rubber toy. Osbourne bit the head clean off the bat only to discover it was indeed alive. “But I'll tell you what, when they gave me the rabies shot, I wasn't smiling."
Image Sourced through Pinterest
Accidents at the Alamo
In 1982, during a tour stop in San Antonio, a drunken Osbourne urinated on the Alamo Cenotaph, a monument commemorating the defenders of the Alamo, resulting in both his arrest and a ten-year ban from performing in San Antonio. In 1992, he apologized for the incident, citing it as one of his biggest regrets. In 2015, he was granted the opportunity to return with his son, and following his passing, he was recognized in a statement for his understanding of his mistake and his legendary musical career.
A Peace Offering Gone Wrong
In 1981, during a meeting with Epic Records executives, Sharon Osbourne thought it would be a poetic gesture to release live doves to signal a new beginning. In another bout of drunken Ozzy chaos, he grabbed one of the doves, bit its head off, and spat it on the table. “The carcass was flapping around the table and feathers were flying,” Ozzy gruesomely reflected years later. Another great example of Osbourne’s problematic relationship with animals is when he shot all 17 of his cats in a state of psychosis. Maybe his early career as a slaughterhouse assistant, a job he admitted he excelled at, was a prediction of what was to come.
No moment in Osbourne’s life was anything short of interesting as he reveled in the chaos of his own design. He exemplified the phrase “life fast, die young,” through his ability to do whatever he pleased with (mostly) no regrets. If you take one thing away from his persona and career, never apologize for being yourself. Rest in peace, Ozzy. Rock will never forget you.
