A Rolling Stone writer reflects on the many hours he spent with the Prince of Darkness — and what it meant to see the humble underdog behind the larger-than-life persona

 

Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath performs on stage during their ‘Never Say Die!’ tour at Lewisham Odeon, London, England, on May 27th, 1978. (Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns)

Ozzy Osbourne with Black Sabbath in 1978 GUS STEWART/REDFERNS

It was a sweltering London day in August 2022 when I met Ozzy Osbourne in person for the last time, at a posh hotel near Hyde Park. I took a seat, but the Prince of Darkness had to lie down because he was exhausted from his triumphant comeback performance in his hometown of Birmingham the night before, when he performed “Iron Man” and “Paranoid” with his Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi. He’d made the decision to get onstage as a headliner for the first time in four years at the last minute, since he was battling several health setbacks. But he was in good spirits.

 

“Is it hot in here or am I … fucking hell,” he sputtered. “We haven’t quite reached America yet with the air conditioning [in England].” Nevertheless, here he was, glistening sweat and all, undeniably “Ozzy” in spite of his pain and the uncomfortable heat. He wanted to discuss how reinvigorated he felt after getting onstage again, as well as his recent close calls with fate (he held out his hands to show me that his Parkinson’s meds were keeping him stable) and how even he couldn’t believe that he was still alive. He’d grown up living on the poverty line, but now he could afford the same hotel Winston Churchill stayed at.

 

We spoke for about four hours that day, and he gamely answered every question I threw at him — topics my Rolling Stone editors wanted me to ask for a profile tied to his latest (and now last) studio album, Patient Number 9, and my own inquiries about everything I’ve ever wanted to know about his storied career. I’ve been an Ozzy fan since age 12, when I bought a double cassette of Live & Loud based on how much I loved his “Mr. Tinkertrain” and “Road to Nowhere” videos on MTV.

 

“I think you’re not writing an article,” he teased me when we reached the three-and-a-half-hour mark, “you’re writing a fucking encyclopedia.” We both laughed because that wasn’t the first time he felt that way speaking with me.

 

Over the past 15 years, I took advantage of every opportunity to interview Ozzy since he was my favorite artist when I was growing up, and, well, because he was always fun to talk to.

 

My records tell me I conducted 20 interviews with the Prince of Darkness about music new and old, his travel TV series with his son Jack (the only time he really saw the world, since he was often cloistered in hotel rooms on tour), and the birth of heavy metal (not to mention liner notes for Black Sabbath’s Paranoid box set and The End concert film). Across all of those interviews I was able to build what I felt was a special rapport with him. I think he felt the same way, since he always ended our interviews by saying, “If you need anything else, just call the office,” which is something few artists of his stature ever offer.

 

Today, as I process the news of his death, I’m making sense of not only Ozzy Osbourne’s impact on music and pop culture, but also the immense impact he had on my life. I remember listening to that Live & Loud tape in the back seat of a car with a 12-year-old friend who was listening to Sabbath’s Paranoid, and our moms telling us we were listening to the same singer.

 

I remember attending his incredible Retirement Sucks concert in Denver in 1996, as well as Ozzfest there in 1997 (with a lineup that pound-for-pound bests any Coachella in my book, because not only did you see Black Sabbath and Ozzy solo, but you also got Pantera, Type O Negative, Fear Factory, Machine Head, and Neurosis). I saw Ozzy solo or with Black Sabbath at least 25 times live and can recall each show if I think hard enough.

 

Initially, as a preteen, I was attracted to the danger of his music, the way he stared down and embraced darkness and how he was a self-proclaimed “rock & roll rebel.” But as I learned more about him, reading interviews in fanzines, I came to appreciate another side of him.

I came to look up to Ozzy as a brilliant and innovative musician, as well as a flawed human who spoke openly about his struggles with alcoholism and how he wanted to better himself. For as controversial as his legacy was — beheading winged animals and urinating on American landmarks — he seemed like a role model to me, since he always strived for something more. He could be down but he was never out.

 

The first time I met Ozzy was in 2005, as a 24-year-old at a Tower Records cattle-call meet-and-greet with hundreds of other fans. I told him then how his music had changed my life, and he immediately quipped back, “It changed mine, too” — the sort of dry-yet-honest wit that made him so endearing to the mainstream on The Osbournes. It was a reminder that Ozzy was famous because of his great music, but he was a legend because he was also relatable.

 

His response also made me feel better about being shuffled off for the next fan, because I’d have something unique that he told me to remember in case I’d never have the opportunity to speak with him again. Luckily, that wasn’t the case.

 

The first time I spoke with Ozzy as a professional was when I was an editor at Revolver magazine. It was in Sony Music’s New York office, and I was nervous, but Ozzy put me at ease, answering questions about his new album, 2010’s Scream, and my own questions about Randy Rhoads, the late guitarist who co-wrote two of Ozzy’s best albums, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, with him.

We spoke for maybe 45 minutes, but it seemed to fly by. I’d compartmentalized any fandom and it was about half an hour afterward that it hit me: “I just interviewed Ozzy Osbourne!“

 

The real work began when I played my cassette back and had to decipher Ozzy’s famously incoherent mumbling. But when I did, I discovered he’d made little jokes and callbacks to jokes that I hadn’t picked up on in person, and it was even funnier and more fun to read. It gave me a better sense of his personality, and it primed me to listen even closer to what he said the next time I spoke to him.

 

With time, I learned it was best to ask Ozzy questions as clearly and concisely as possible and to just let him talk. He often surprised me with his wit (such as when I played to his interests as a World War II buff with my question about Adolf Hitler’s alleged micropenis, which he turned into a deeper rumination on the führer’s failed sex life), and he wasn’t shy about telling me if he didn’t like one of my questions (he swore Black Sabbath weren’t a heavy metal band, because that tag included bands like Poison) or if he simply didn’t have an answer for me.

 

For instance, I’ve asked all four Sabbath members at one point or another what inspired my favorite song of theirs, the opening cut of their masterpiece Vol. 4 album, “Wheels of Confusion,” but none of them, including Ozzy, had any particular memories of it. It’s nevertheless one of the most moving pieces of crushing heavy metal I’ve ever heard. (They all did remember the drug escapades that surrounded the time, though, in vivid and hilarious detail.)

 

No matter the situation, Ozzy was always earnest and gracious every time we spoke. In 2016, his manager and wife, Sharon, cordially invited my wife and me backstage to say hello to them before Black Sabbath performed a tremendous concert in Chicago on their The End tour. We saw Ozzy warm up his voice, he showed me a Lemmy Kilmister poker chip that he carried around with him to remind him of the late Motörhead frontman and his dear friend, and he recommended a serum he used to keep his vocal cords fresh to my wife, who sings opera.

 

When I interviewed him backstage at a concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania, two years later, when he was kicking off his farewell tour as a solo artist, he showed me a picture of his beloved pet dog, Rocky, who was too scared to travel with him, as well as the doodles of skulls he made to keep his own nerves at bay.

 

At the time, he was adamant that he’d still do gigs here and there after the tour, but a staph infection and a middle-of-the-night fall ended his performing career early. He told me about the staph infection with his typical candor (his thumb was swollen to “the size of a fuckin’ lightbulb”), and later described to me in vivid detail how awful the tumble had been. Then he revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis.

 

It was hard for me to hear how broken he sounded when we’d do phone interviews after that, especially since I could hear how “with it” he was mentally and how excited he was to record new music, like his excellent Ordinary Man and Patient Number 9 albums, even if his body was rebelling against him. But once he worked through his frustrations (I always expressed compassion for his state), he’d warm up and he could still vividly describe photo shoots he did for his album sleeves, and he sounded excited about a new song he recorded with one of his best friends, Billy Morrison.

 

So it was incredible to see how rejuvenated he felt in 2022 after singing a single song with Iommi, more than half a century after they’d formed Black Sabbath. “I never think I’m going to win,” he told me then. But for that one night, he felt like a winner. That’s when it dawned on me that what made Osbourne truly special was his underdog spirit. He told me a long story about how he regretted acting like a jackass around Eric Clapton once, so he was honored that Clapton would perform on his album; he didn’t think he was in the same league, even though he was.

 

That humility is what made me and everyone want to root for him, whether as an artist or as a befuddled reality-TV dad, for more than half a century. But for as much as he wanted to get onstage again, he’d play only one more one-off appearance and his Back to the Beginning farewell concert after that gig.

 

A few weeks ago, I watched the whole Back to the Beginning livestream. For as much as I would have loved to travel to Birmingham to see the concert live, the event was scheduled to take place a day after the due date of my baby daughter. Luckily, she arrived a little early, so we were able to watch the whole 10-hour livestream as a family, marking her first “concert.”

 

Seeing Ozzy on his throne, looking frail but sounding strong, was emotional for me. There was something revealing about how he sang “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” with his broken voice that touched me deeply.

 

It was a soul-baring display of his humanity, pure Ozzy, fighting to succeed just like he had the last time I’d met with him. He was determined to win. I watched that performance again and again on my iPad during late-night bottle feedings over the past few weeks (I kept the stream active by rewinding every day), and seeing it repeatedly was moving for me each time because I knew from talking to Ozzy just how much it meant to him to say goodbye the right way.

 

In the music industry, you often hear the adage, “Never meet your heroes,” because they’ll disappoint you. But Ozzy never let me down, mostly because I was able to see firsthand how hard he strived to succeed. In the end, he was incapable of being anyone other than Ozzy Osbourne. “My life has just been unbelievable,” he once told me. “You couldn’t write my story; you couldn’t invent me.” He was right, too. I just felt lucky he wanted to spend hours of his life telling me his stories.

 

Reuters Bandmates Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler pose in front of yellow and white Grammy logos while holding a grammy award for Best Metal Performance at the 2014 Grammy awards

 

Music stars, fans and former bandmates have paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, who has died at the age of 76.

 

Black Sabbath have “lost our brother”, said the band’s co-founder Tony Iommi, while bassist Geezer Butler remembered their final gig and drummer Bill Ward shared an old photo of them together.

 

The music icon’s death on Tuesday came less than three weeks after his band played their farewell gig in his home city of Birmingham.

 

“He loved what he did, he loved music, he loved playing together, and I’m so glad we had the opportunity of getting together again to do the [farewell] show,” Iommi told BBC Radio 4’s Today on Wednesday.

 

“It was brilliant being with all the guys again, and the atmosphere, and it was brilliant for Ozzy because he really wanted to do that, he felt at home there and it was good for all of us.”

 

Osbourne, known for energetic and controversial live shows, inspired a generation of musicians.

 

“It’s impossible to put into words what Ozzy Osbourne has meant to Metallica,” the band said in a statement on X. “Hero, icon, pioneer, inspiration, mentor, and, most of all, friend are a few that come to mind.”

 

Henry Rollins, former frontman of hardcore band Black Flag, said it was “rare that somebody can be so synonymous” with a specific musical genre.

 

“But if you want to talk about heavy metal, first up it’s Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. Everyone else comes after.”

 

PA Media Floral tributes are left on the Black Sabbath Bridge bench on Broad Street in Birmingham, following the death of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne aged 76. Picture date: Wednesday July 23, 2025.

Fans left flowers, candles, handwritten notes and memorabilia on the Black Sabbath Bridge bench in Birmingham

US rock band Aerosmith called him “our brother in rock”, sending their love to “the millions around the world who felt his fire”.

 

Osbourne’s bandmates in Black Sabbath all shared separate tributes on social media.

 

Drummer Bill Ward looked back at their time together and said: “Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls? No, you’re forever in my heart.”

 

Bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler wrote: “Goodbye dear friend. Thanks for all those years – we had some great fun. Four kids from Aston – who’d have thought, eh?”

 

‘A category of his own’

On 5 July, the self-styled “prince of darkness” performed in Birmingham supported by many of the musicians he had inspired, including Metallica and Guns N’ Roses.

 

Billy Corgan, lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins – one of the many bands that performed alongside them – said: “Some of the biggest musical artists in the world travelled from all over the world to be there literally to celebrate the legacy of this band.

 

“It’s one of the greatest musical moments of my life,” added Corgan, who spoke to BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight.

 

Reuters Ozzy Osbourne is seen on a screen as he performs at the Black Sabbath’s farewell show

Ozzy Osbourne is seen on a screen as he performs at the Black Sabbath’s farewell show titled “Back to the Beginning”, at Villa Park in Birmingham in early July.

“For him to have been that close to death on July 5 and still get up there and perform like he promised… Wow! That puts him in a category of his own,” Sammy Hagar, former vocalist of Van Halen, who also played at the farewell concert, wrote on Instagram.

 

AC/DC posted that Osbourne’s death was a “great loss to all that loved him”, while Sir Elton John posted on Instagram: “So sad to hear the news of Ozzy Osbourne passing away.

 

“He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend.

 

“He was also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love.”

 

Foo Fighters wrote that “Rock and Roll would not be as loud or as fun” without Osbourne; while Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant said he had “truly changed the planet of rock”.

 

US pop star Lady Gaga took to the stage in an Ozzy Osbourne T-shirt as she ended her first Mayhem Ball show in San Francisco on Tuesday.

 

“We’ll miss you Ozzy”, she said, as Osbourne’s song Crazy Train played in the background.

 

And during a concert in Nashville, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin led a rendition of Changes by Black Sabbath in tribute to the heavy metal star.

 

“OK Ozzy we love you, wherever you’re going, thank you for everything”, he said after playing the tune on a piano.

 

Watch: Ozzy Osbourne looks back at his time with Black Sabbath, in 2017

US rock singer Alice Cooper dedicated his show in Cardiff on Tuesday to Osbourne, and said in a statement: “The whole world is mourning Ozzy tonight. Over his long career, he earned immense respect among his peers and from fans around the world as an unmatched showman and cultural icon.”

 

Billy Idol said Osbourne “opened musical doorways for people like me at a time when we were very young and looking for inspiration”, while Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong posted a photo of the singer on Instagram and wrote: “No words. We love you Ozzy.”

 

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons told BBC Breakfast: “I know that, right now, millions of fans around the world are crying and shocked, and my heart goes out to Sharon and the family and the fans.

 

“There were no airs about him – he’s met kings queens, political leaders, I think it’s fair to say there was never an Ozzy Osbourne before Ozzy, and there will be another Ozzy. He was a unique, loveable person.”

 

Yungblud, who performed a cover of Changes at the farewell concert with Black Sabbath in Birmingham just weeks ago, hailed Osbourne as a “legend” and said “I didn’t think you would leave so soon”.

 

Announcing the star’s death on Tuesday, his family said in a statement: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.”

 

London metal band Iron Maiden posted their own tribute online, saying Osbourne had “helped shape heavy metal as we know it and we will be forever grateful to Black Sabbath for forging the path that so many followed”.

 

Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, who performed at the star’s recent final gig, wrote: “We all loved him dearly. I’ll miss him as a friend and a pillar of the spirit of rock n roll.”

 

He added: “But I’m so happy Ozzy had that last show that we all could share with him, it truly meant the world to one of the greatest of all time.”

 

‘More than a rock legend’

Others shared fond memories of Osbourne’s larger-than-life character.

 

Variety magazine’s senior entertainment editor Jem Aswad recalled the first time he met Osbourne, he was “nervous” to meet the prince of darkness.

 

“It was just this sort of really bizarre scene,” Aswad told the BBC.

 

Osbourne entered the room near noon in a bathrobe, having “just woken up”, wearing loads of jewellery and accessories and “a lot of gold”, Aswad said, though adding that Osbourne was “perfectly nice, perfectly friendly”.

 

Meanwhile, fans laid flowers at a mural for the band in Birmingham, and gathered at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

 

“Osbourne was more than a rock legend – he was a cultural icon who reshaped music and defied expectations,” said Ana Martinez, the venue’s producer.

 

Black Sabbath were pioneers in the heavy metal genre of music, writing classic tracks like Paranoid, War Pigs and Iron Man.

 

After leaving the band in 1979 over rising tensions with its other members, Osbourne had a lengthy solo music career releasing more than a dozen albums. His debut single released the next year, Crazy Train, is arguably one of his most famous songs.

 

In the 2000s, his wild image was transformed thanks to the MTV reality show The Osbournes – which portrayed the star as the well-meaning, frequently befuddled patriarch of an unruly household.

 

1. Osbourne is survived by his wife Sharon and six children, three from each of his two marriages.

 

 

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