John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer-songwriter. Throughout an extraordinary career, which has so far spanned five decades, Osbourne has made major contributions to the worlds of music and popular culture. Osbourne rose to prominence as co-founder and lead singer for pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath (1970-78, 1997 to 2006, 2011) he was, in effect, one of the chief architects of the genre, creating the powerful new sound and provocative performance style that would forever expand the definition of rock music. As a result he is known as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal", and, because of some of his material, the "Prince of Darkness", and eventually achieved a multi-platinum solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre. ...show more

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer-songwriter. Throughout an extraordinary career, which has so far spanned five decades, Osbourne has made major contributions to the worlds of music and popular culture. Osbourne rose to prominence as co-founder and lead singer for pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath (1970-78, 1997 to 2006, 2011) he was, in effect, one of the chief architects of the genre, creating the powerful new sound and provocative performance style that would forever expand the definition of rock music. As a result he is known as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal", and, because of some of his material, the "Prince of Darkness", and eventually achieved a multi-platinum solo career which revolutionized the heavy metal genre.

In the early 2000s, his career as a celebrity hit a new zenith when he became a star in his own reality show, The Osbournes alongside wife/manager Sharon and two of their three children, Kelly and Jack. In August 2008, Osbourne stated in USA Today that he intends to retire from his music career after two more albums. Osbourne was born in Aston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Osbourne is also known for biting the head off of a bat a fan threw on stage during a concert.

He was sent to the hospital for a rabies shot and claimed he thought the bat was fake. In 1980, Osbourne debuted as a solo artist to widespread popular acclaim. Over the next two decades, his career continued to gain momentum with a continuous string of multi-platinum albums, and he has brought his notorious live show to sold-out arenas in virtually every corner of the world. As a solo artist, Osbourne has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, bringing his cumulative sales to more than 90 million albums. ...show less