If it seems like it was just days since Ozzy Osbourne left the concert stage for the last time, well it was. And yesterday, John Michael Osbourne (the Blizzard of Oz, the Prince of Darkness, the Godfather of Heavy Metal, the Great Ozz, etc.) left life’s stage at a time when the radio and music industries find themselves in peak disarray.
His original nickname—Ozzy—is the one everyone knows—ensuring he
will go down as the best branded “heavy metallurgist” of all time. Ozzy’s destination on the “Crazy Train” of life is an unknown, be it “Heaven and/or Hell,” Ozzy will undoubtedly make whatever pivots are necessary to make the adjustment to his new musical environment.
The “Ozzy” moniker was bestowed on a young kid who grew up in working class Birmingham, just a hop, skip, and a jump down the road from Liverpool where his beloved Beatles hailed from and earned their musical chops. More on the Fab Four later in this post because they play a role in Ozzy’s narrative.
The Associated Press put together a nice tribute to Ozzy yesterday, complete with social media tributes to Ozzy from his musical peers—or those whose careers were most impacted by Black Sabbath’s music, among them:
Thank you Ozzy Osbourne for the inspiration. @BlackSabbath is the template for heavy Rock. #Ozzy
— Nirvana (@Nirvana) July 22, 2025
— Metallica (@Metallica) July 22, 2025
Ozzy was also feted by the Aston Villa Football Club, the home team where he grew up.
Aston Villa Football Club is saddened to learn that world-renowned rockstar and Villain, Ozzy Osbourne has passed away.
Growing up in Aston, not far from Villa Park, Ozzy always held a special connection to the club and the community he came from.
The thoughts of everyone at… pic.twitter.com/lcyBomOdxq
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 22, 2025
In spite of his (in)famous run-ins with bats and animals, he had a special connection to PETA which he supported. In a statement to Yahoo News, the organization’s SVP Lisa Lange spoke for her organization:
“Ozzy Osbourne was a legend and a provocateur, but PETA will remember the ‘Prince of Darkness’ most fondly for the gentle side he showed to animals—most recently cats, by using his fame to decry painful, crippling declawing mutilations.”
And diagnosed with Parkinson’s back in 2003, Ozzy has supported medical research while also speaking honestly about the disease and how he was dealing with it: The UK branch of that charity released this statement:
“News of Ozzy Osbourne’s death, so soon after his celebratory homecoming show, will come as a shock to so many. By speaking openly about both his diagnosis and life with Parkinson’s, Ozzy and all his family helped so many families in the same situation. They normalised tough conversations and made others feel less alone with a condition that’s on the rise and affecting more people every day.”
Ozzy’s relationship with the Beatles was telling. Despite worshipping them and being in close proximity to the Fab Four, Ozzy found himself on the outside looking in:
Interestingly, Ozzy could never gain admittance into the “Beatles Club,” despite being honored with an audience with the late Queen Elizabeth during her Golden Jubilee celebration.
Ozzy was also inducted twice into the Rock Hall of Fame as a solo artist and also for his seminal role with Black Sabbath. He is also permanently embedded on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Birmingham Walk of Stars.
He also had a bizarre cameo at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner back in 2002:
From 2002 White House Correspondents’ Dinner:
President George W. Bush: “Washington power brokers, celebrities, Hollywood stars, Ozzy Osbourne.”
Ozzy stands on table, blows kisses.
Bush: “OK, Ozzy. Might have been a mistake.”pic.twitter.com/pNYW2xafVD
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 22, 2025
While the Beatles came to life in their motion pictures, including Help! and A Hard Days Night, Ozzy took it to MTV and the massively successful reality TV show, The Osbournes. Launched in 2002, it was how the world was introduced to the details of his marriage to Sharon, as well as Ozzy’s kids, Kelly and Jack. Seeing Ozzy in a domestic environment introduced the audience to a side of the “Prince of Darkness” they’d never seen—or imagined—before.
Former MTV exec and Jacobs Media friend, colleague, and client Tom Calderone remembers Ozzy and the show fondly:
“Although I was not directly part of the series while I was at MTV, I have to say it was a proud moment.
Even though internally (off our floors) some asked why it wasn’t on Vh1. Well, Brian Graden got there first, they wanted to be on MTV, and had the perfect combination for MTV. Humor, some outrageous moments. Family, kids dealing with parents and parents, well, trying to keep up.
via IMDB
When Ozzy had the ATV accident on camera, it shook us up.
Sharon, of course, was the key to the larger relationship with us. She was tough, but fair. We were able to do some specials with them, and of course the VMAs.
The Osbournes came during a very pivotal time for reality TV. We were able to still do series tethered to music and music celebrities and combined that with the attitude and ascetic of high quality storytelling.
They were on when Nick and Jessica, Tom Green, Jackass, TRL and Snoop
all had series on at the same time.
And from the ‘a great idea can come from anywhere department,’ the show came together after a great episode (a one-off) of True Life with the Osbournes. It was just magic.
I will say up until this sad day, that every time I would see any of the family members on TV I would just smile.
What a special human he was. Just full of love and a wicked sense of humor. He got it.”
Oddly enough, Ozzy’s passing comes at a strange time for the once-dominant rock music genre. As radio programmers know so well, rock has experienced a steady fade for decades now. And yet, the new “2025 Midyear Music Report” from Luminate reveals rock music is making an unusual comeback this year. Download it here. It’s beautiful and a great piece of work.
Of the genres they include, Luminate points to rock’s increased strength year over year:
Notably, the musical doc on Netflix, Becoming Led Zeppelin, was tops in its category this period, supporting the growth of rock during this period.
As we often see when a legend passes, their media sales go up. I remember
Ozzy bumperstickers when I programmed WRIF in the ’80s. A check on eBay this morning reveals these three Ozzy sticker are on sale for the asking price of $90. As someone who knows what we paid for these promotional items, I can tell you our costs were considerably lower. You can make your bid here.
In one way, shape, or form, the Ozzy legend will continue. We’ve seen how that goes when other Classic Rock icons have moved on.
The power of the music and the artists who made it endures. Hopefully, if you’re in the format, your station rose to the moment yesterday.
I heard some strong radio, while others simply checked off the “Ozzy box.” Many were able to use social media to spread the news and to connect with their audience communities.
Others were unable to update their websites to display this “breaking news” for rockers, not a great sign.
And I know of no station that utilized their dashboard metadata to disseminate this story, another area where broadcast radio must do better. (If you were an exception that rule, please let me know.)
These are unforgettable moments that can make their mark for radio when stations do their share of carpe diem—seizing the moment.
Condolences to the Osbourne family and Ozzy’s fans everywhere. May his memory be a blessing.
Originally published by Jacobs Media
