Ozzy Osbourne: key dates / Photo: Oli SCARFF - AFP
Ozzy Osbourne: key dates
Key dates in the life of legendary British heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne, who died Tuesday at the age of 76 after a battle with Parkinson's disease:
- December 3, 1948: Born John Michael Osbourne into a working-class family in Birmingham, England. Gains his nickname Ozzy in primary school. Leaves school at the age of 15 before working in manual jobs, including as a plumber and at an abattoir.
- 1968: With little experience in music, becomes singer of a Birmingham-based band which will become Black Sabbath.
- 1970: Black Sabbath releases its second and most successful album, "Paranoid", which includes three of its signature songs.
- 1979: Sacked from Black Sabbath for drug and alcohol abuse.
- 1980: Releases his debut solo album, "Blizzard of Ozz".
- 1982: In one of the many unusual episodes for which he becomes infamous, bites the head off a live bat during a concert in the US city of Des Moines, Iowa.
- 1997: Rejoins Black Sabbath.
- 2002-2005: Appears as the doting grandfather in MTV's hit reality show "The Osbournes", about him and his family.
- 2003: Records "13", his first studio album with Black Sabbath after a 35-year absence.
- January 2020: Reveals he has Parkinson's Disease.
- July 5, 2025: Gives a farewell concert with Black Sabbath in his hometown, telling the sold-out crowd: "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
- July 22, 2025: Dies at the age of 76.
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