Who is Ozzy Osbourne? From Black Sabbath's Prince Of Darkness to relationship with Sharon and reality TV stardom

Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne is set to take to the stage for one last performance.

The 76-year-old, whose real name is John Michael Osbourne, will reunite with his Black Sabbath bandmates at Aston Villa's Villa Park for a gig that promises to be the "greatest heavy metal show ever".

The all-day Back To The Beginning show will be the metal band's first performance together in 20 years, with original stars Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Terence 'Geezer' Butler and Bill Ward.

The comeback marks the first major show Osbourne has done since he cancelled planned gigs in Europe and the UK back in 2023, saying at that time that he is no longer "physically capable" of performing.

In 2020 the singer also revealed he has Parkinson's disease.

The show, planned for 5 July, is the latest in a career that has spanned five decades and earned Osbourne the nickname The Prince Of Darkness.

Who is Ozzy Osbourne?

Born in Birmingham, Osbourne rose to fame as a founding member and lead singer of the band Black Sabbath.

The band formed in 1968 and two years later released their self-titled debut album which included songs like The Wizard and Evil Woman.

The group's follow-up album, Paranoid, included some of the band's most famous songs including War Pigs, Iron Man, Fairies Wear Boots and Paranoid.

The record was a huge success, topping the charts in the UK and reaching no 12 in the US.

Black Sabbath went on to become one of the most successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide over the years.

After being kicked out of the band in 1979 due to erratic behaviour and a drug problem, Osbourne went on to have success as a solo artist.

His solo debut album Blizzard Of Ozz reached the top 10 in the UK, and in 2020 he achieved his highest-ever charting album with Ordinary Man, which featured collaborations with Elton John, Slash, Post Malone and Tom Morello.

Family life and reality TV

Away from music, Osbourne's personal life has been a key feature of his career.

In 1970, he was introduced to Sharon Levy - who would later become his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne.

They went on to have three children - Aimee, Kelly and Jack Osbourne.

The singer's marriage to Sharon hit the headlines numerous times over the years, including his four-year affair with a hairstylist and his attempt to strangle her while under the influence of drugs in 1989. The incident led to him going to rehab for three months.

The family hit new heights of fame when they starred in the reality TV series The Osbournes.

The show followed the family during their daily lives in Beverley Hills in Los Angeles, including Sharon's public battle with colon cancer and Ozzy's near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003.

The Osbournes lasted from 2002 to 2005, winning an Emmy Award for outstanding reality programme.

After appearing on the show, Jack and Kelly went on to have successful careers on their own, both presenting TV shows including Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie and Australia's Got Talent.

In September 2023 the family revealed they were relaunching their podcast The Osbournes, also featuring their eldest daughter Aimee, after first releasing the show in 2018.

Substance abuse and health troubles

Osbourne has regularly spoken publicly about his problems with drugs and alcohol and his time in rehab.

The singer told Variety in 2021 that he had experienced drugs from a "very early age" adding that he felt "lucky" to have survived.

"There's nothing special about me. I should have been dead 1,000 times. I'm not being big-headed about that, or invincible. It doesn't take much to kill you," he said.

The couple's youngest children Kelly and Jack also suffered with addiction, both going to rehab.

In 2020, after cancelling various tour dates, the singer revealed he had been diagnosed with PRKN 2, a form of Parkinson's disease.

He described the diagnosis as "terribly challenging" but said he was determined to get back on stage.

"I feel better now I've owned up to them [my fans] about having Parkinson's," he said at the time.

"To hide something is hard - you never feel proper. You feel guilty. I'm no good with secrets. I cannot walk around with it anymore. It's like I'm running out of excuses."

The singer has also had extensive spinal surgery and other treatment, after a fall at home in 2019 aggravated injuries he suffered in the quad bike crash.

In 2023 he said his body is "still physically weak", despite three operations, stem cell treatments, physical therapy sessions, and recent "groundbreaking" Cybernics (HAL) Treatment - using a wearable robot suit.

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