Ozzy Osbourne: Black Sabbath Frontman & Prince of Darkness Has Died Age 76 – R.I.P.
We here at The 13th Floor are reeling from the news that Ozzy Osbourne has died, age 76, just weeks after his historic reunion with his Black Sabbath bandmates.
Here is the statement issued by Ozzy’s family: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Ozzy was a founding member and vocalist for Black Sabbath, a band whose importance and influence cannot be over stated. His solo career was just as important, as was his “role” as a reality TV star.
My interest in Ozzy goes back to when I was a teenager at Boy Scout camp in the Adirondack Mountains and one of our “pack” brought a cassette of the just-released Paranoid album. I was hooked. I bought my own copy and played it incessantly, much to my parents’ dismay.
Ten years later I found myself in a TV studio recording Ozzy Osbourne for a new show I had created called After Hours which we simulcast with radio station WCMF-FM (where I also worked). At the time Randy Rhoads was in Ozzy’s band and the resulting 4 song set is now the stuff of legend…Jack Black recently made is own parody version of Mr. Crowley, based of the After Hours clip.
Marty Duda
Click here to read the behind-the-scenes story of that day.
And click here to read more about the life and times of Ozzy Osbourne.
Then, find a copy of Paranoid and turn it up!
