Archive July 23, 2025

Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary Black Sabbath singer, had a lot of wild on-stage moments throughout his career, but one particular incident stands out above the rest because he once feared it would appear on his grave.

Ozzy Osbourne’s Prince of Darkness nickname was certainly not just because of his jet black looks on stage and all boiled down to once incident. The Black Sabbath icon pushed the limits during his performances, and even in the world of rock he managed to turn heads.

He did not get his onstage name by accident, and long reigned over the rock world until his final show earlier this month. Ozzy received a royal music send off at Birmingham’s Villa Park, where he performed with his band for one last time.

His devoted family announced Ozzy’s death just over two weeks later, at the age of 76. Our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne dead UPDATES: Paramedics fight to save Black Sabbath star and Sharon’s devastation

He was surrounded by love and his family. At this time, we ask that everyone respect the privacy of our family. “Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee, and Louis.

Of all moments in Ozzy’s career, one antic stands out above the rest in how he is being remembered. On January 20, 1982, Ozzy famously bit the head off a bat while on stage, becoming one of the most notorious moments in rock history.

Some recalls of the wild incident have changed over the years, while others have stood the test of time as fact. Two months into his tour to promote Diary of a Madman, his second solo album, was Ozzy.

Ozzy started a custom of throwing raw meat and other animal parts into the audience while traveling. Word quickly spread to his supporters, who immediately began showing up at the shows prepared to retaliate.

Something small and black was thrown on the stage while Ozzy was watching him perform at Des Moines’ Veterans Memorial Auditorium, believing it to be a rubber toy. Ozzy claimed to have grabbed it, stuffed it in his mouth, and choked it down in his 2010 autobiography.

However, something went wrong right away. Very incorrect. “He recalled in I Am Ozzy that my mouth was immediately brimming with this warm, gloopy liquid.” Then my mouth’s head began to twitch.

Someone threw a bat, I guess. I initially believed it to be a rubber bat. And I snatched it before putting it in my mouth. He said, “I bit into it.” However, he quickly realized what was happening and remarked, “Oh no, it’s real. A real bat was present.

However, Ozzy’s account has varied over the years as he once said the bat was already dead. Speaking to the BBC in 2006, he recalled: “This bat comes on. I thought it was one of them Hallowe’en joke bats ‘cos it had some string around its neck,” he said.

When Sharon [Osbourne, his wife, and then manager] was going, I bite into it and look to my left. And I’m like, “What are you talking about?” She claims that the bat is a dead one. And I’m… I am aware now.

In an effort to settle the tale once and for all, the man who claimed to have taken the bat to the concert said it was in fact dead. Mark Neal was 17-years-old at the time and told the Des Moines Register, that his younger brother had brought the bat home a fortnight before. Sadly, it hadn’t survived and by the time Mark took it to the concert, it had been dead for days.

Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne, who it was announced yesterday has died, aged 76, gave insights into her life before rising to fame in the band in interviews over the years

The late Ozzy Osbourne has been the subject of tributes this week following the news that he died, aged 76, surrounded by his family yesterday morning. He’s best known for having been in the band Black Sabbath and later for his family life.

It was announced last night that Ozzy had died, weeks after a farewell concert that saw him reunite with the other original members of his band. His wife Sharon Osbourne and four of his children shared the news in a statement.

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne dead UPDATES: Paramedics fight to save Black Sabbath star and Sharon’s devastation

His death has led to the resurfacing of comments made by Ozzy over the years and articles about his life, such as looking back on his marriage. The singer-songwriter had also previously spoken about his life before rising to fame, and we’ve now taken a look back at just some of his comments.

Ozzy grew up in Aston area of Birmingham and he once told Esquire that he was raised “right at the poverty line”. He told the outlet in 2005: “I always felt sh***y and intimidated by everyone. So my whole thing was to act crazy and make people laugh so they wouldn’t jump on me.”

The musician, whose first name is John, is said to have picked up the nickname Ozzy whilst at primary school, as reported by BBC News. He’s said to have struggled at school, including due to dyslexia, with him once saying that people “didn’t understand” the learning difficulty back then.

After dropping out of school at the age of 15, Ozzy went through various jobs before pursuing a career in music. They included being a construction site labourer, “minding” cars at Villa Park, and an apprentice toolmaker.

Just a few years after leaving school, Ozzy worked in a slaughterhouse before turning to crime. He reportedly attempted to take a TV from a shop but left thumbprints on it, which later led to the police confronting him. He’s said to have then spent six weeks in prison, with the experience credited with having prompted him to rethink his life.

He told The Big Issue in 2014 that he was “f***ing useless” at burglary and that it was less than three weeks before he got caught. He recalled his late father, John ‘Jack’ Osbourne, telling him that he had been “very stupid”.

Ozzy said that he felt that way himself and described his time in prison as a “sharp lesson,” shortly before he met his future bandmates. He said: “I didn’t pay my fine and I got put in jail for a few weeks. That was a short, sharp lesson.”

He told the outlet that a gift in his late teens, following his release, led to him becoming a world-famous musician. Recalling the “best gift” he had ever received, Ozzy told the outlet that his dad bought him a microphone when he was 18.

He said that shortly after he met his future bandmates, adding: “It was the fact that I had my own microphone and PA system that got me in the band.” He suggested that without the equipment he would “never” have “got the gig”.

Ozzy has previously shared that The Beatles inspired him as a teenager, with him having been a fan. He told Esquire that his world “went up like a shooting star” when he first heard their single She Loves You, released in 1963. He said that it was a “divine experience” and that the “planets changed”.

Black Sabbath first formed in 1968, though under a different name initially, with Ozzy part of the original line-up alongside Tony Iommi, Terence ‘Geezer’ Butler and Bill Ward. He once said that him and Geezer put an advert up in a music shop in Birmingham that Tony and Bill, who had previously been in the band Mythology together, then responded to.

The band went on to release their self-titled debut album in 1970, which included singles like The Wizard. Their second album, Paranoid, released later that same year, began their chart success, with it topping the charts in the UK. Speaking about his father’s reaction to his growing success, Ozzy once recalled that “everybody was looking for a handout”.

Reports have suggested Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix deal is not going to be renewed – and a source has revealed why Harry will be impacted most

Prince Harry will have been dealt a significant blow after Netflix reportedly decided not to renew his and Meghan Markle’s multi-million-dollar deal, according to sources. The Sussexes are believed to have signed a five-year deal worth around $100million in September 2000 with the streaming giant to produce a raft of content.

However, apart from their first offering – their controversial docuseries Harry & Meghan – their following shows on the streaming platform have not matched its success. In fact, last week, it emerged that Meghan’s lifestyle and cookery show, With Love, Meghan, failed to make it into Netflix’s top 300 most-watched shows for 2025.

Now sources have said the deal with Netflix will not be renewed when it expires, with one insider telling PEOPLE magazine it reflects a broader shift in the streamer’s business strategy.

Meanwhile, another source told The Sun that the deal had “run its course” and that Netflix felt they had got “all they could” from the couple.

And they added it could prove a huge financial hit for the couple, especially Harry. The source said: “Netflix execs are well aware Meghan’s priority now is her own brand, and they won’t play second fiddle to that.

“Publicly, there will not be a statement, and of course, if things change dramatically, they’d be open to a one-off project down the line. But for Harry, especially, this will be a blow. It’s a huge loss of revenue.” The Mirror has contacted Netflix and the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.

When they first signed the deal with Netflix, the couple said: “Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope. As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us.”

Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer and co-chief executive, also said at the time: “We’re incredibly proud they have chosen Netflix as their creative home and are excited about telling stories with them that can help build resilience and increase understanding for audiences everywhere.”

But speaking in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry memorably said he and Meghan signed lucrative deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify after being financially cut off from the royals – leaving them with hefty security bills.

Harry said deals with the streaming giants were “never part of the plan”, but said they needed cash to pay for security. He said: “That was suggested by somebody else by the point of where my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us.”

The couple’s deal with Spotify was said to be worth $25million but came to an end after just several episodes of a joint podcast and one series of Meghan’s podcast, Archetypes.

The 12-episode series saw Meghan chat with different celebrity pals, including tennis icon Serena Williams, legendary singer Mariah Carey, and socialite Paris Hilton.

But when the Sussexes’ deal with the streaming platform came to an end, they were brutally described as “f***ing grifters” by a top Spotify executive. Bill Simmons, head of podcast innovation and monetisation at Spotify, hit out at the Sussexes in an episode of his own podcast, saying: “The f***ing grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them.”