Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne has been inducted as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Birmingham’s 75-year-old Prince of Darkness received a standing ovation from an all-star band and the 20,000-capacity crowd in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday.
“I’d like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for my solo work. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he shouted above deafening cheers after actor Jack Black presented him with the award.
The diverse group of inductees this year also included: Mary J Blige, Cher, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest and the Dave Matthews Band.
“My fans have been so loyal to me over the years. I cannot thank them enough”, said Osbourne, who was inducted at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse arena.
Ozzy determined to visit Black Sabbath bench
Ozzy Osbourne to ‘perform final shows in Birmingham’
“I’ve [also] been fortunate to play with some of the world’s greatest guitar players, drummers and bass players, and a few of them are here tonight.
“But I’ve got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I hadn’t met Randy Rhoads, I don’t think I’d be sitting here now.”
Rhoads, an acclaimed guitarist, helped to transform Osbourne’s solo career after he was kicked out of heavy metal band Black Sabbath in Birmingham in 1979. He died in 1982, aged just 25.
Osbourne saved his biggest thank you for his family. His wife Sharon, daughter Kelly and her son, Sidney, were in the audience.
“More than that, my wife Sharon saved my life. And my grandbabies and my babies. I love them all.”
During his induction, Black described the first time he heard the rocker’s solo hit album “Blizzard of Oz” (1980), saying “heaven had opened up”.
“I didn’t realise I was entering a whole new world of heavy metal.”
And he added: “You know a lot has been made of his evil alliance with the dark lord, Satan, but in truth, Ozzy is a loving father and husband and friend.”
Osbourne, who grew up in a large family in Aston, was previously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of Black Sabbath, which he formed in 1968. He has since sold 100 million records, both as a solo artist and with the band.
It had not been certain whether he would perform on Saturday due to bouts of ill health; he has Parkinson’s disease.
One of the last times he was seen on stage was at the closing ceremony of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
In the event, he watched on stage from a big leather bat-shaped throne as an all-star band performed his set playlist. Country superstar Jelly Roll gave an outstanding rendition of Osbourne’s Mama, I’m Coming Home. Maynard James Keen sang Crazy Train, accompanied by Wolfgang Van Halen, and Billy Idol belted out No More Tears.
The musicians included his long-time guitarist and co-writer Zakk Wylde, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and Osbourne band member Adam Wakeman on keyboards.
Osbourne, who feels a strong connection to his West Midlands roots, retired from touring last year, although he later said he wanted to perform two final shows in Birmingham to say goodbye to his fans.
“Birmingham until I die,” he cried out during his performance with Black Sabbath at the Commonwealth Games two years ago.
He is still considered a legend in the city, despite leaving years ago to pursue his career.
There have been various city honours bestowed on him. He was the first artist to be honoured on Birmingham’s own Hollywood-style Walk of Fame on Broad Street in 2007.
The huge mechanical bull seen in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games was also named “Ozzy” following a public vote. It is now on display at Birmingham New Street railway station.
There is also a bench in the band’s honour on the renamed Black Sabbath Bridge over the canal on Broad Street.
Rock star
Osbourne credits the Beatles for getting him into music when he was a teenager growing up in a large family in Aston.
Paul McCartney was among a string of artists who lined up to pay tribute to him in a look back at his career, in a video played during his induction.
Artists become eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first recording.
In the 2011 documentary God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, he said the band made him realise that “[he] was going to be a rock star for the rest of [his] life”.
Osbourne’s outstanding legacy was played out in front of some of the world’s finest musicians during the five-hour show on Saturday – 55 years after he started in the business.
