Consider a Birmingham, England boy who lives in a working-class home but becomes a legendary rock star. That boy is Ozzy Osbourne, who leads a more fantastic life than you can imagine.
He was born on December 3, 1948. He was not referred to as a "Prince of Darkness." At times, however, things can take a different turn. Ozzy was going to revolutionize music with his distinct sounds.
The Beginning of a Nickname That Would Stick
That is where it gets fascinating. That "Prince of Darkness" title did not originate from some savvy marketer or from Ozzy's immense ego. It originated as a response from a crowd.
As NME noted in an interview with him in 2016:
"We began gigs a long time ago. As we'd play a few chords of [the song 'Black Sabbath’], young ladies in front of the stage would freak out. We were considered to be Satan’s friends or whatnot. That’s when they started calling us the Prince of Darkness.”
The term is of ancient origin. It derived from Latin "princeps tenebrarum" in religious literature of the 4th century. John Milton famously used it in his epic "Paradise Lost" to characterize Satan. That’s some pretty formidable group for a Birmingham boy, isn’t it?
He explained in 2013:
"It is a name. I did not wake up one day thinking, 'You know what, I'm going to call myself.' It really started as a humorous name."
Black Sabbath: That Which Made Everything Different
He was with Black Sabbath until he began his solo career. Black Sabbath was a heavy metal group. Black Sabbath was founded in 1968 with members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. Birmingham men pioneered new sounds for all of them.
Their first albums, "Black Sabbath" (1970), "Paranoid" (1970), and "Master of Reality" (1971), were not only albums: they were blueprints for the future. Each of those subsequent metal bands owes a debt to those first three albums.
Songs like "Paranoid," "Iron Man," and "War Pigs" became the DNA of metal music. If you're using something like genrefinder.app to explore metal's origins, you'll trace most threads back to these tracks.
Solo Success: When Ozzy Did It Alone
Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his drug issues. That would've ended anyone else's career. Ozzy used it to propel himself further.
Their first release in 1980, "Blizzard of Ozz," was a high seller with well-known tracks like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley." Their second release, "Diary of a Madman" (1981), is widely regarded as his finest solo release. Throughout his career, Ozzy was particularly successful in discovering great guitarists like Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, and Zakk Wylde.
He concluded his 13 solo studio albums with his 2022 release of "Patient Number 9," which took home a Grammy for Best Rock Album. That’s pretty remarkable for a man who started with a humorous moniker.
More Than Music: Meet Television’s Unexpected Star
Then there was "The Osbournes" (2002-2005), an MTV television series that revolutionized everything. In a fleeting moment in television history, America's Prince of Darkness was everybody's laughable dad, garnering 5.8 million viewers who watched him flounder with a television remote.
The series revealed an unexpected side of Ozzy; this dark icon was indeed a lost but family-loving man. It brought a more human element to a legend without diminishing its mystique.
The Final Act: A Throne-Bound Farewell
Significant health challenges marked Ozzy's later years. His Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 2003, kept private until 2020, severely impacted his mobility.
On July 5, 2025, at Birmingham's Villa Park, Ozzy provided an excellent goodbye performance. He couldn't move his feet, so he sang from a black throne, and he was accompanied by original Black Sabbath members for the first time in 20 years.
Forty thousand witnessed a concert in which Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Tool, and Slipknot paid tribute to him. Ozzy's final words to the crowd were: "You have no idea how I feel; thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Seventeen days later, on July 22nd, 2025, Prince of Darkness passed away at the age of 76 with his family.
Heritage of the Prince
Ozzy's tale isn't one of songs alone, but of transformation. He helped forge the concept of rock star rebellion as well as popularizing heavy metal. Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, as well as Ozzy as a solo artist in 2024, solidifying his enduring legacy.
Ozzy originated from humble Birmingham streets to be a rock icon. He taught us that anyone can be a celebrity. Prince of Darkness revolutionized music history and instilled in us that our greatest passion can take us to greatness. That is a legacy well worth carrying to its ultimate height.