HCPL IT Business Analyst and lifelong Ozzy fan, Cesar M contributed this guest blog.
John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne passed away yesterday, July 22, at the age of 76, leaving a great void among music lovers, but at the same time, an indelible legacy that will endure for decades and generations in popular culture.
Ozzy not only fronted Black Sabbath, the Birmingham band that helped create heavy metal, but with his rebellious personality and ambitions to continually innovate, changed the history of our culture.
From biting the head off a bat in a live show to appearing in films, Ozzy did it all and triumphed in every facet of his life, both professionally and personally, like no one else has done it.
Many of his songs are anthems to this day, such as “War Pigs,”, opens a new window perhaps the greatest anti-war protest song ever written; and “Iron Man, opens a new window” (this live recording contains explicit language), which would serve as the main theme song for the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film of the same name.
Even television as we know it today owes much to the prodigal son of Aston. His show, The Osbournes, pioneered reality TV with standards still in use today by every production company.
His influence was so great, that when he founded his own music festival, Ozzfest in 1996 all the great contemporary heavy metal and hard rock artists fought to play and Ozzfest remained one of the top-grossing music festivals for almost 20 years.
Ozzy had dark moments in his life, but these helped him find his way and, at the same time, experiment in areas he never thought possible, bringing him even closer to the masses and cementing his iconic status.
I had the opportunity to see him live almost 12 years ago, and the quality of his voice and performance were always a hallmark of his concerts. Despite his fragile physical and mental health, Ozzy never disappointed his fans.
Even more impressive is the fact that he retired from music with a final concert with Black Sabbath, a show held on July 5th in Birmingham (where it all began) called "Back to the Beginning," a moment we now look back on with sadness, as we didn't know it would be the last time we'd see him.
Call him whatever you want--Ozzy, The Blizzard of Ozz, The Godfather of Heavy Metal, The Madman, The Wizard of Ozz, or The Prince of Darkness--his legacy is indelible and perhaps unparalleled. For that and for everything you gave us, we say THANK YOU.
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