ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of metal band Black Sabbath and self-styled “Prince of Darkness,” passed away on Tuesday, July 22 at the age of 76.
The acclaimed musician, who crafted a wild and chaotic stage persona during his five decades of stardom, released some of the most indelible rock ‘n’ roll anthems of his generation, such as “Iron Man” and “War Pigs” with Black Sabbath and “Crazy Train” and “No More Tears” as a solo artist.
Osbourne was a massively important artist to millions of music lovers, including many of our DJs and radio personalities here at the Asheville Media Group. A few shared their tributes to Osbourne with us.
Asheville Media Group remembers Ozzy Osbourne
“Ozzy was a living legend in his own right, and as a lover of rock ‘n’ roll music, he’s been a staple in my household. He’s been around my entire life and his music was multigenerational. Even my 18-year-old son has a poster of him on his wall. I’m grateful he got to do a farewell tour very recently and go out on his own terms. He is one of those artists that leaves a lasting imprint on rock n roll!” – Melanie Wilkinson, Mix 96.5
“Not only was Ozzy my dad’s favorite musicians, but if I thought I could party, I would look at Ozzy and realize I don’t know what partying means!” – Jeff Daly, 105.9 The Mountain
“Ozzy’s music is some of the first music I ever really got into, because of my uncle and his obsession with Black Sabbath. Then, of course, ‘Blizzard of Ozz,’ which I still listen to all the time. Ozzy is an icon, a pioneer and an innovator, and the Prince of Darkness will certainly be missed.” – Mike Gibson, 98.1 The River
“When I was in middle school and I was goth, I loved listening to Ozzy. He was like my gateway into metal. And then, my 8th grade boyfriend broke up with me and I had ‘No More Tears’ on repeat. That was basically two years of my life. Not the breakup part, but just listening to that song and then that drove me to Metallica, and AC/DC and Dio. He really was that gateway artist into that music.” – Jordan Coppinger, 98.1 The River
“Ozzy was a pioneer. From metal and the amazing early Black Sabbath to his iconic solo creations and collaboration, he showed that you can survive a group, unlike so many mainstream musicians who have tried to step out on their own. They have not been able to maintain the success. Ozzy was better.
Ozzy was meant to rock. Ozzy was rock! Ozzy did not just have us, the fans who he looked and waved to in an arena personally – at least, you felt that way. Ozzy had rock ‘n’ roll icons look up to him. He was a record-setting artist alone after Sabbath. His hits, his tours and his musical stature would make even Taylor Swift jealous! Yes, there was the Alamo, and yes, there was the bat incident, but Ozzy Osbourne will forever be known as the godfather of heavy metal and a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer. His respect among industry members was shown just last week when he sang his final time.
Oh wait. By accident he created reality TV, a multi-billion dollar industry today! What couldn’t he do? The brilliant thing was, he had no clue, but with his Sharon, he did it, and he was an icon and he was darn good at it. Rock on, Ozzy, as we gather in our masses and mourn a once-in-a-generation talent. RIP OZZY.” – Richard “Rizzo” Deaver, 105.9 The Mountain
Do you have a fond memory of Ozzy Osbourne or Black Sabbath? Share it with us at news@828newsNOW.com.