It’s the end of an era. Ozzy Osbourne, the godfather of heavy metal, has passed away at 76, and fans around the world are feeling the loss in a big way. Whether you knew him as the wild frontman of Black Sabbath, the solo star behind Crazy Train, or just “that guy who bit the bat,” Ozzy was so much more than the myths that surrounded him.
Beyond the eyeliner, the chaos, and the iconic scream, Ozzy was also surprisingly human — vulnerable, funny, and full of strange little stories that rarely made headlines. Here are five things about him you might not have known, but probably should.
1. He went to jail for stealing clothes, not money, just clothes
Ozzy didn’t come from much. Growing up in a working-class neighbourhood in Birmingham, England, things were hard. At 17, he got caught stealing clothes — not because he was a rebel, but because he simply didn’t have any. He spent six weeks in jail, and it haunted him for years. That brush with the system ended up fueling the raw honesty in his music.
2. Clowns scared the hell out of him
For someone who played with themes of darkness and horror, Ozzy had a surprisingly soft spot — or maybe a weird one. He was scared of clowns. Yep. The guy who sang about demons and madness couldn’t handle face paint and red noses. It just shows: fear doesn’t always make sense.
3. “Ozzy” wasn’t a stage name — it was a schoolyard nickname
His real name? John Michael Osbourne. But ever since he was a kid, people called him Ozzy — and it stuck. It wasn’t part of some marketing plan. It was just… him. And over the decades, that name came to represent a sound, a movement, and a legacy.
4. He worked in a slaughterhouse before hitting the stage
Long before his fame, Ozzy did whatever jobs he could to survive. One of them was in a slaughterhouse. It was messy, brutal work — and probably not the most glamorous chapter of his life. But if you’ve ever wondered where his music got that raw, guttural edge… well, maybe that explains a bit.
5. He was terrified of being alone on stage
You wouldn’t think it, watching him command massive arenas, but Ozzy was nervous before every show. He used to say his biggest fear wasn’t playing badly — it was playing to no one. That fear kept him grounded and gave every performance a kind of urgency. He didn’t take his fans for granted. Ever.
