Celebrating the life of Ozzy Osbourne with 10 things you may not have known about the Prince of Darkness

Ozzy Osbourne has died, at the age of 76, just weeks after reuniting with his Black Sabbath bandmates for a farewell concert at Villa Park.

A man known for his crazy lifestyle as well as his music, to celebrate his life we’ve put together 10 things you may not have known about the Prince of Darkness.

1. He left school at 15 and jobs he had included car horn-tuner and slaughterhouse worker.

2. He credited The Beatles’ song “She Loves You” as his inspiration to become a musician.

3. It took him 19 attempts to get his driving licence, finally passing the test at the age of 60.

4. In 2015 he received the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented to Black Sabbath as a group.

5. He was banned from San Antonio for a decade after urinating on the Alamo cenotaph in 1982. He was pardoned after donating to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

6. In 2002 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

7. In 2007 he became the first person to be given a star on Birmingham’s Walk of Stars. He said that this meant more to him than his Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

8. He was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. With Black Sabbath in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024.

9. In 2016, he had a tram in Birmingham named after him, which he unveiled.

10. His birth name was John Michael Osbourne, but he got the nickname ‘Ozzy’ as a child. He stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that if someone called out “John” in the street that he would not stop.

Long live rock and roll.

R.I.P.

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