Ozzy Osbourne: From factory worker to music's Prince of Darkness

Scott D’Arcy profiles the Black Sabbath frontman who became an icon of British rock

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BEHEMOTH among the monsters of rock music, Ozzy Osbourne will be best remembered for his showmanship and unique sound.

As frontman of Black Sabbath, he was at the forefront of the heavy metal scene - a deeper, darker offshoot of hard rock.

His theatrical stage presence - including once biting off the head of a bat - and styling himself as the Prince of Darkness marked him out as a controversial figure.

Band breakups fuelled by disputes with fellow members and drug abuse and a well-documented battle with alcoholism cemented that reputation.

He was also among the vanguard of now-ubiquitous modern reality TV stars, appearing with his family in the hit MTV show The Osbournes.

Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work before teaming up with school friend Geezer Butler in several bands.

‘The pair then linked up with the other founder members of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, to form what was then called Earth Blues Company - later shortened to Earth - in 1968.

Initially a Mod who loved soul music, according to his biography on the band’s official website, Osbourne crafted his darker image after writing lyrics for a song entitled Black Sabbath after the 1963 Boris Karloff film of the same name.

‘The name stuck - after they were forced to change it from Earth - and the band went on to sell millions of records over the next decade on the back of sound-defining tracks including Paranoid and War Pigs.

A product of their working-class roots and the post-Vietnam War era, the band tackled themes of war, social chaos and the supernatural.

But drug use began to take its toll on Osbourne and his relationship with his fellow band members, and he was eventually fired in 1979.