OZZY – The Prince of Darkness Reached the Light

GLITCHED MIRROR

5–7 minutes

(The above image is an AI-generated, painting-style illustration intended purely for artistic interpretation. It is not an official portrait and is not affiliated with Ozzy Osbourne or his representation. The image is not based on any copyrighted photograph and does not infringe upon third-party intellectual property.
It is used under the principles of fair use for commentary and tribute purposes.)

John Michael Osbourne. Or, as the whole world knows him, Ozzy Osbourne. The Prince of Darkness. His appearance alone was striking – but even more so was the man himself. Unique, extravagant, crazy, and honest.

His life path was far from smooth, right from his childhood. According to descriptions and accounts, it was quite tumultuous, full of conflicts and troubles. These troubles essentially accompanied him throughout his life – stories which likely everyone connected to the genre has heard.

Ozzy became a cult figure. An icon among rock and metal fans.
Alongside his Black Sabbath bandmates, they laid down such fundamental cornerstones in the metal scene from which everything and everyone grew later on.
The four of them were, arguably, the creators of heavy metal:
Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.
No more, no less.
True, they probably didn’t know it back then, but this is where it all began.

The paths of the four Birmingham lads eventually diverged, and Ozzy continued his journey alone, from which we welcomed the already well-known history and the rise of the Prince of Darkness.

I won’t go into every detail; you can find everything in magazines, books, or online. Also, in the past few days and weeks, everyone has been covering this, many writing about the same things from their own perspectives.

Ozzy became an icon. An indispensable foundation for every metal fan. Everyone knows his name. They must know it. Anyone who deals with rock/metal music, listens to it, performs it, or teaches it – it’s mandatory. If not, then it’s essential that they familiarize themselves with this background. Don’t come back until you’ve done your homework.

I remember back in the day, I had a conversation with 2-3 guys who were new, so to speak, to rock music. Black band T-shirts – I can’t even remember which band, but not one of the big ones – studded belts, boots, and so on.

We talked quite a bit after one of our gigs back then – because I was playing music at the time too – and the conversation turned to what everyone listened to, things like that. Then the old, dusty record collection found its way onto the turntable. For the most part, they had no idea about them. Just a few examples of what I’m talking about:

Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queen, a few American bands, and finally Black Sabbath.

I was quite shocked when they essentially knew nothing beyond Metallica and Slayer, and even those only by hearsay.

Before anyone in the comment section tears my head off for this article: everyone has the right to listen to what they want. It’s not my intention to judge anyone’s musical taste, as everyone has the right to listen to what they want, but it was surprising to encounter such gaps in knowledge.

I can understand that newcomers might not know 1-2 old bands, but for them not to have even heard of the biggest names genuinely surprised me a bit. When they have no idea who Freddie Mercury, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Dickinson, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, or even Slash are, it makes you think.

After I explained the basics of rock history to them, I saved Ozzy for last.

All they managed to blurt out was, “Oh, the guy who bit the bat’s head off?” I said, “Yes. We’re talking about him.”

But Ozzy certainly had other memorable moments – which I suspect many people remember – that always bring a sincere smile. Whether it was this, or the Mötley Crüe ant-infested pool story, or any moment from The Osbournes where Ozzy created something, each provided us with such a lovable character that only further enhanced his iconic status.

Unfortunately, in the last few years, as news of one health problem after another emerged, it filled fans and representatives of the rock and metal sphere alike with concern. Parkinson’s disease, spinal surgeries, and if I’m well-informed, a tumor was also found, and then in the current year (2025), he became confined to a wheelchair as his body began to give up, making him unable to stand properly.

On July 5, 2025, an iconic and rock-historical event took place, allowing both Black Sabbath and Ozzy to bid farewell to their audience.

With this monstrous concert, accompanied by many guest performers (Zakk Wylde, Steven Tyler, Tom Morello, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, and many others), an era was concluded in front of 40,000 people in the audience and millions online (thanks for the livestream).

(The approximately 9-hour monstrous event and concerts can be watched on YouTube and numerous other video-sharing sites.)

Ozzy sat through the show on a specially made throne, as he unfortunately couldn’t get up from it; he tried several times, but his body failed him. So, while he couldn’t “run around” on stage like he used to, he still masterfully managed to sing, clap, hype up the crowd, and dominate the space, time, and audience.

For him, this was the worthy culmination of a life’s work and his personal seal. This is how something should be concluded. A life’s work, a dream, a vision. Birmingham and the entire rock world were immersed in euphoria and happiness, because this was a truly capital-letter rock-historical event.

Then, a few weeks later, the euphoria changed colors. The cheerful and joyful sounds fell silent. The colors that radiated serenity and happiness suddenly disappeared, as if cut off. Their place was taken by a silent, palpable quiet and gray, black colors, deeper and darker than what we knew.

Ozzy Osbourne died.

Shock and silence. The amplifiers and microphones fell silent.

No more hum.
No soundcheck.
Lightning struck, and he was, then he was not.
The whole world just stared, bewildered, “WHAT???!“.

July 22, 2025. Ozzy left the stage.

He went to Lemmy and Randy. His two best friends, who had already joined the celestial band much earlier, alongside Hendrix, Cobain, Joplin, Lynott, Mercury, DIO, and the other giants.

I was never a huge Ozzy fan, but I always watched what he did with awe and listened to the works he left for us, to spin on eternal repeat.
We hear his immortal voice, see his iconic character, and can always thank him for creating something that fundamentally changed music in the world.
He just dreamed, and he made it a reality.

You can still hear it somewhere in the ether, perhaps he sang this very thing as he left his body:

Mama, I’m Coming Home.

#RIPOzzy

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