Ozzy Osbourne, frontman of 1970s heavy metal band Black Sabbath, earned his infamy biting the head off a bat on stage and pursuing a drug-fuelled lifestyle before reinventing himself as a loveable if often foul-mouthed reality TV star.
Known to fans as “The Prince of Darkness” and the “Godfather of Heavy Metal,” Osbourne has died at the age of 76, the BBC reported, citing a family statement.
He kicked off his career blaring out Black Sabbath’s hits, from “Paranoid” to “War Pigs” to “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”. Those plus a string of solo releases saw him sell more than 100 million records worldwide.
The hard riffs and dark subject matter – from depression to war to apocalypse – combined with an instinct for Halloween theatrics. As a performer, Osbourne sprinkled audiences with raw meat and, in 1982, had his encounter with a bat thrown on stage by a fan.
He always insisted he thought it was a toy until he bit into it, realised his mistake and rushed to hospital for a rabies shot. He later sold branded bat soft toys with a removable head. (Reuters)
FILE PHOTO: Musicians Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath (L-R) pose with their award for Best Metal Performance for “God is Dead?” at the 56th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California January 26, 2014. REUTERS / Lucy Nicholson.
