Prince of Darkness Bids Farewell
Black Sabbath: An Oral History of the Heavy Metal Band by Mike Stark
Prince of Darkness Bids Farewell
More than 45,000 people turned out in Birmingham, England, over the weekend to watch legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne appear for a final time with his band Black Sabbath. The 76-year-old Osbourne, who publicly revealed a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020, spent much of the show performing from a large throne adorned with a bat and skulls.
Considered pioneers of early heavy metal music, Osbourne helped launch Black Sabbath in 1968, releasing eight studio albums as its lead vocalist. Known for outrageous stunts—he infamously once bit off the head of a dead bat (he later said he thought it was fake)—Osbourne was fired from the band over substance abuse issues in 1979. He subsequently launched a successful solo music career, and eventually became a pop culture mainstay with the 2002 debut of the reality show Meet the Osbournes.
The Saturday show was preceded by hours of tribute performances from Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and others. Read more about Birmingham’s heavy metal legacy here.
Want to go deeper into Sabbath’s legacy?
Check out Black Sabbath: An Oral History for the full backstory—from the wild early days to the legends they became.
Photo by Sven Mandel, via Wikimedia Commons.
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