On July 5, Ozzy Osbourne took fans for “one last ride on the rails that rewired rock forever” in his hometown of Birmingham, England. The “Prince of Darkness” helped pioneer the heavy metal genre, first as the hell-raising frontman of Black Sabbath and then as a solo artist with hits like “Crazy Train” and “No More Tears.” Just 17 days after the farewell “Back to the Beginning” concert at Villa Park, the legendary rocker passed away at his Los Angeles home. While Ozzy isn’t here to see the tremendous outpouring of love from all corners of the Earth, his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, says he knew exactly how much he was loved following his final bow.
On July 17, Sharon sat down with Pollstar magazine to recap her husband’s curtain call. Ozzy died five days later, with Pollstar publishing the interview on Aug. 5.
According to Sharon, 72, Ozzy “turned around and he said to me that night, he said, “I had no idea that so many people liked me.”
One last ride on the rails that rewired rock forever
— Anna (@annnaxbabyy) July 5, 2025
Some may find this difficult to believe, given that Ozzy sold more than 100 million records and gained entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. However, “Ozzy’s always been in his own bubble,” Sharon explained.
Sharon Osbourne Reflects on Ozzy’s Redemption Arc
In 1968, Ozzy Osbourne formed Black Sabbath alongside fellow “Brummies” Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward. Between Butler’s occult-tinged lyrics, Ward’s dark, blues-y inspired drumming, Iommi’s soaring riffs, and Ozzy’s eerie wail, the band enjoyed immense success with albums like 1970’s Paranoid.
However, Osbourne’s substance use intensified as his relationship with Iommi soured. In 1979, his bandmates tossed him out. That same year, legendary manager Don Arden signed Ozzy to Jet Records, enlisting his daughter Sharon to “look after Ozzy’s needs, whatever they were.”
Under the Arden’s guidance, the Godfather of Heavy Metal recorded his solo debut, Blizzard of Ozz. After Warner Bros. passed on it, Sharon says they took the record to Epic, releasing it in 1980.
Thanks to the singles “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley,” Blizzard would become one of the few albums among the 100 best-sellers of the ’80s to achieve multi-platinum status without a top-40 single. And nearly five decades later, Sharon Osbourne doesn’t even try to contain her glee when talking about it.
“You know what? It was glorious, because everybody, everybody went, ‘No, he can’t leave Black Sabbath. No singer leaves and has a hit. Doesn’t work that way in this industry. No, no, it won’t work,’” she told Pollstar. “And he proved everybody wrong. Everybody. And it was just one of those great underdog stories.
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