Friday, December 5, 2025

RIP Ozzy Osbourne, 76, Rebel Rocker for Decades Became Reality Star Late in Life, Battled Parkinson’s Disease

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So sad to hear about Ozzy Osbourne. He fought many illnesses including Parkinson’s Disease for years, with laughter and a mordant sense of humor.

Ozzy was the quintessential mad hard rocker. He became an urban legend for biting off the heads of doves or bats or something on stage. Was it true? Did it matter?

When wife Sharon put the Osbournes on MTV in a reality show, Ozzy became accessible in new ways. I had the pleasure of chatting with him quite a bit. Surprise he was a tiny fellow. And frail by the time I knew him. But he was lovely and fun.

I had never seen Black Sabbath perform until they got their Special Merit Grammy Award a few years ago. I was sitting in the front row of the Dolby Theater, and I was nervous the sound of the group performing would be beyond cacaphonous. But it wasn’t. Black Sabbath, in their way, was very musical. That’s what kept them in good stead when most bands had faded away.

Condolences to Sharon and her family. The Osbournes were a soap opera, but they were never boring and Ozzy will never be forgotten.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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