11 Rare Photos of a Young Ozzy Osbourne: From Metal Legend to Devoted Husband of 43 Years
Plus, what the ‘Prince of Darkness’ was really thinking when he wrote ‘Crazy Train’
Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary frontman of Black Sabbath and rock’s lovable “Prince of Darkness,” died on Tuesday, July 22. “It is with more sadness than words can convey,” offered the family in a statement, “that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away. He was with his family and surrounded by love.” He was 76.
From his piercing vocals to his theatrical stage presence, Ozzy’s influence reached beyond heavy metal music and captivated the world for more than five decades. Whether it was the dangerous drug-fueled days of his youth, his solo success or his reality TV renaissance, Ozzy was always a true pioneer in every way.
To honor his legacy, we’re taking a visual look back at rare photos of Ozzy’s life—from early Black Sabbath days to his solo career and beyond. Keep scrolling to see rare photos of young Ozzy Osbourne.
Ozzy Osbourne young: The birth of a new genre
Black Sabbath (previously known as Earth) was an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. The band’s first three albums—their self-titled LP, Paranoid and Master of Reality—are now considered the genesis of heavy metal.
“One of the proudest things I have in my heart is the fact that Black Sabbath wasn’t a band that was created by some big, bad mogul guy,” Ozzy said in an interview with BBC News.
Black Sabbath’s early success
The band signed a record deal in November 1969 with Philips Records and recorded their first single, “Evil Woman” (a cover of a song by a band called Crow), at Trident Studios. Though their debut song didn’t gain much traction, the band continued writing and recording.
Their debut album, Black Sabbath, released on Friday the 13th, 1970 and reached number 23 on the Billboard 200. At first critics were skeptical, but this LP has since been certified Platinum and made history as the first-ever heavy metal album.
In June 1970, just four months after their debut LP, Black Sabbath returned to the studio to write and record their next pivotal album, Paranoid. Drummer Bill Ward said they wrote the album’s title track in less than 30 minutes. “We didn’t have enough songs for the album, and Tony just played the [Paranoid] guitar lick and that was it. It took 20, 25 minutes from top to bottom,” Ward said in an interview for Wheels of Confusion: The Story of Black Sabbath.
The album eventually reached number one on the UK Albums chart and solidified the band’s place in rock history. “We were just four guys who said ‘let’s have a go,’” Ozzy explained to BBC News. “We had a dream and it came true beyond our wildest expectations.”
Ozzy’s magnetic stage persona
Ozzy became known worldwide for his electrifying and often shocking live performances with Black Sabbath (shown here in 1974 Los Angeles) and later during his solo years. “I mean, it all comes down to the audience,” he said.
“If the audience ain’t there. You ain’t got a gig. I can remember playing The Crown pub in Birmingham—Henry’s Blueshouse—and I was thinking well, this is good for a couple of years,” Ozzy continued. “Drink a few beers and have a jam… and that was the beginning of the most incredible adventure I could ever think of.”
In the above photo, Ozzy and the late great Randy Rhoads are seen performing at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on July 4, 1981. “Randy was a great guitar player. He co-wrote ‘Crazy Train’ with me. I still think about him a lot,” Ozzy recalled during an episode of the History Channel’s series Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour. “I often think about where he would be in the picture if he was still around. He was just a great guy.”
Ozzy’s solo success skyrocketed after he released Blizzard of Ozz in 1981, which featured the aforementioned hit song “Crazy Train.” “It’s not just a personal song; it’s for everybody,” Ozzy said of the song’s origin in an interview with Steve Newton. “There’s a different meaning for everything on that song. It’s what affects people and what affected me at the time. At the time of writing that, there was only me and Randy. We were trying to get players and everything was flying at us. There was just one thing after another, you know, and I was thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going crazy.’ You just think that you’re going off the rails on a crazy train.”
One of Ozzy’s most notorious on-stage moments? In 1982, he somehow bit a bat’s head off on stage in Iowa. “I thought it was one of those rubber bats,” he said on an episode of the 1980s variety show, Night Flight. “I picked it up and it was a real bat, you know?”
According to devoted fans, Ozzy’s iconic humor and innate silliness were some of the singer’s most beloved characteristics. Case in point: The “Prince of Darkness” was photographed in 1982 in his hot tub in Goldwater Canyon, Beverly Hills, California…with a giant rubber fly.
Ozzy and Sharon: a rock’n’roll romance
After 43 years of marriage, Ozzy and Sharon stood the test of time despite turbulent moments. Sharon once revealed she first met Ozzy when she was just 18 years old while working with her father, music manager Don Arden (who managed Sabbath).
In a past CBS interview with Dan Rather, Sharon talked about her first impression of Ozzy and the rest of Black Sabbath. “I was, like, ‘Oh Lord, look at them,’” she recalled. “And they were all odd and hairy and because I’d been used to dealing with artists that were American and they were slick and they were really put together and they smelled nice and, you know, suddenly these guys come in and they’re hairy and they’re from the north of England and they don’t look or dress like anything I’ve ever seen.”
When asked if seeing Ozzy was “love at first sight,” she simply replied, “No. No, not at all.” It wasn’t until Sharon saw Ozzy perform in 1980—during his solo years—when something shifted. “He was so funny and quick-witted and yet very vulnerable, and I just thought he was the funniest, sweetest guy I’d ever met, because he was so vulnerable about everything,” Sharon said. “And that just attracted me to him.”
Ozzy also maintained that Sharon was the love of his life. When People asked Ozzy about his proudest moment back in 2022, he said it’s “having a marriage that lasted.” “I used to think love was sex, and it’s not,” he said in the interview. “I believe you only have one real love in your life. I’m still in love with my wife. That’s the main thing.”
The couple married in Hawaii on July 4th, 1982. They had three children together: Aimee, Kelly and Jack (shown here).
Ozzy’s epic final performance
Though Ozzy’s life was a rollercoaster, his influence and impact were unwavering. He embodied musical madness and mayhem and remained in the spotlight for more than five decades.
But he saved one of his grandest performances for last. Less than three weeks before his death, Ozzy headlined his final show, “Back to the Beginning,” right back where it all began—in Birmingham, England. The epic show featured sets from Metallica and Guns n’ Roses among others before closing with performances by Ozzy and Black Sabbath. The show raised $190 million, making it the highest-grossing charity concert of all time, surpassing the combined total of FireAid and Farm Aid. The funds were divided between three charities: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorns Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s.
In what would become one of his final public statements, Ozzy looked out at the show’s crowd of 40,000 people—and a livestream that reached 5.8 million viewers—and said with awe and gratitude: “You’ve got no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
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