From Black Sabbath days to his final concert in 2025

Ozzy Osbourne helped invent heavy metal with Black Sabbath. He then dragged the genre out of its doom-laden early days and into the glitz and glamour of the 1980s arena rock era, becoming a staple of MTV. Along the way, he struggled with demons, including alcohol and drugs, while batting away accusations of being a Satanist.

Yet his “never say die” attitude always kept him in the spotlight, even during the years when rock was proclaimed dead. He and his wife (and manager), Sharon, turned their rock ‘n’ roll life into the stuff of a reality TV sitcom called “The Osbournes.” He also helped establish scores of music stars through his Ozzfest music festival of the 1990s and 2000s.

He saved what might have been his grandest performance for last. Just weeks before his death at 76, Osbourne headlined “Back to the Beginning.” The all-star heavy metal concert in hometown Birmingham, England, featured sets from the likes of Metallica and Guns n’ Roses before culminating with performances by Ozzy’s band and Black Sabbath.

“You’ve got no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he told the crowd of thousands.