The controversial rock and roll legend Ozzy Osbourne recently celebrated his 75th Birthday. And in his honor, we are sharing some of the craziest facts about his life.
If you want to get to know the rockstar a little better, then stick around for the short biography section of the post. Now enjoy the Ozzy Osbourne facts that are not him biting the head of a bat or a dove nor him urinating on the Alamo memorial in a drag
10 Crazy Ozzy Osbourne facts
10. Ozzy Osbourne has Dyslexia
Since he was a child, Ozzy has struggled with dyslexia. A problem that caused him trouble with learning in school. However, dyslexia doesn’t go away the moment you finish your academic life. To this day, Ozzy has trouble focusing when reading. He even talks about this topic in his book ‘I Am Ozzy’.
“The only good thing about having dyslexia is that dyslexics are usually very creative people, or so I’ve been told. We think in unusual ways. But it’s a very bad stigma to have, not being able to read like normal people can. To this day I wish I’d had a proper education. I think books are great, I do”.
9. Big fan of the Beatles
At the age of 14, he became a big fan of the Beatles after hearing their first hit single. Ozzy even credits the Beatles’ hit song ‘She Loves You’ (written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney) as an inspiration for him becoming a musician.
8. Committed a Burglary
As a teenager, he dropped out of school at the age of 15 and worked as a construction worker, plumber and similar blue-collar jobs. The motives behind the burglary are unclear to the public but it was probably related to his low income at the time.
He stole a television set, some T-shirts, and a handful of baby clothes for which he spent six weeks in Winson Green Prison because he wasn’t able to pay the fine. And his father, to teach him a lesson refused to pay the fine.
For the irony to be bigger, he dropped the stolen TV set during the escape and had to abandon it, while the baby clothes were meant to be adult clothes. But since it was dark, he couldn’t see what was he stealing. It’s more of a disaster than a robbery if you ask me.
7. He Fought a Robber Naked
Yes, you read that right.
Another crazy Ozzy Osbourne fact is that he fought an intruder in his home while being naked. Apparently, the burglar was going through his wife’s closet when Ozzy, naked at the time, saw the intruder and immediately attacked him. However, the robber managed to get away and even stole some expensive jewelry, including Sharon’s wedding ring.
Luckily the ring was later recovered thanks to the British TV show ‘Crime Watch’.
6. The Prince of Darkness has Stage Fright
One of the hardest to believe facts about Ozzy Osbourne is that he still gets stage fright before a show. Even after decades of performing, fear can still be overwhelming.
But he is not the only rockstar with this problem. Another legend – Ringo Starr has also admitted to still having stage fright before a show. Luckily the stage fright doesn’t interfere with their performance and they are always killing it on stage.
5. Ozzy has a Wax Statue of him that “pees” on People
As I said earlier, I won’t be talking about the Alamo memorial incident. BUT that doesn’t mean I won’t be talking about the wax statue which immortalized that moment.
It’s a wax statue of Osbourne equipped with a motion sensor that is activated whenever a person approaches the statue and it starts “peeing” on them. The statue is the work of artists Ruben Ortiz-Torrest and Jim Mendiola.
4. Never Seen an Episode of his TV Show ‘The Osbournes’
Ozzy has never seen an episode of the reality TV show that follows the lives of him and his family. Show that was cited as the most-viewed series ever on MTV. It premiered on MTV on March 5, 2002, and lasted for three years, ending on March 21, 2005.
3. Started a fire in his home while making a sandwich
Without a doubt one of the most bizarre things you will ever read…how?
According to his wife Sharon, the rockstar tried to make a bacon sandwich but somehow managed to start a fire. A fire that almost spread to the entire house but fortunately it was localized.
2. He almost died in an ATV accident
While driving his ATV in 2003, Ozzy suffered a serious accident that left him in a coma for a week. He broke his collarbone, eight ribs, and the neck vertebrae in the accident.
According to witnesses he stopped breathing and was resuscitated by his bodyguard at the time. Thankfully, he only suffered short-term memory problems at the time, but later made a full recovery.
1. Ozzy has homemade tattoos
Ozzy may have over 15 tattoos on his body, but that doesn’t mean that all of them were made by a professional tattoo artist!
Some of the tattoos, including the famous one on the knuckles of his left hand that spell Ozzy, were made by the Prince of Darkness himself. He made them as a teenager with a sewing needle and a grate polish. Now that’s hardcore.
Besides the tattoo on his knuckles, he has also tattooed smiley faces on both of his knees. Tattoos that according to him are helping him to cheer up in tough times.
Who is Ozzy Osbourne? Short Biography
Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948 in Birmingham, England. He has been one of the most influential rock and roll musicians since he rose to fame as the frontman of Black Sabbath. Ozzy is also known as ‘The Prince of Darkness‘.
For those unfamiliar with Black Sabbath – it’s a band that pioneered the heavy metal genre with songs such as ‘Paranoid’, ‘Iron Man’, ‘War Pigs’, ‘Black Sabbath’, etc. Their work revolutionized the music industry.
However, Osbourne and Black Sabbath sadly had to part ways in the late 70s. The reasons were inner conflicts due to the band’s drug and alcohol abuse mixed with several unsuccessful album releases at the time. They eventually reunited few decades later in 2011 for a world tour and a new and final album.
After parting ways with the band, Ozzy Osbourne went on to have a successful solo career. He has produced 12 solo studio albums and half of them have received multi-platinum certifications in the United States alone.
Personal Life
As we already said, Ozzy Osbourne was born in Birmingham, on December 3 in 1948. His mother Lilian Osbourne worked at a factory while his father John Thomas Osbourne was a toolmaker. Ozzy also has five siblings, including three older sisters named Jean, Iris, and Gillian, and two younger brothers Paul and Tony.
In 1971, he married his first wife Thelma whom he met at a nightclub in Birmingham where she worked. They had three children together. A decade later in 1982, he married his second and current wife Sharon Arden with whom he also has three children.
In the early 2000s, he became a reality star in the TV show The Osbournes where he plays himself.
Since 2006, Ozzy is part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Black Sabbath. The first heavy metal band to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
10 Interesting Black Sabbath Facts
Final thoughts
That was it for the Ozzy Osbourne facts, leave a comment below if you want to add something. We wish health and many more decades of rocking for the Prince of Darkness.
If you are interested in more hardcore stuff, then I would recommend to check – 10 Facts About Lemmy Kilmister.