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Traces the life of Ozzy from a child in poverty to one of rock’s elder statesmen.

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Ozzy and Jack's World Detour

“Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne” traces Ozzy’s life from his childhood in poverty and time in prison, to fronting legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Black Sabbath and successful Grammy Award-winning solo career, to one of rock’s elder statesmen and a loveable 21st century television dad. The two-hour documentary explores how Ozzy has continually reinvented himself and his career to propel himself toward greater success.

As Ozzy turns 70, he reflects on the intimate details of his successes, failures, and his unique ability for survival and perseverance—including never-before-seen interviews about his recent Parkinson’s diagnosis.

The documentary, a selection of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, also features interviews with Sharon, Kelly and Jack Osbourne as well as friends and fellow musicians including Rick Rubin, Ice-T, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Jonathan Davis, Post Malone and more.

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Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne

For over five decades, Ozzy Osbourne has personified rock and roll, from his childhood in poverty and time in prison, to fronting metal band Black Sabbath, a successful solo career and a lov... Read all For over five decades, Ozzy Osbourne has personified rock and roll, from his childhood in poverty and time in prison, to fronting metal band Black Sabbath, a successful solo career and a lovable 21st century television dad. For over five decades, Ozzy Osbourne has personified rock and roll, from his childhood in poverty and time in prison, to fronting metal band Black Sabbath, a successful solo career and a lovable 21st century television dad.

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• Trivia The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne was an Official Selection to SXSW 2020 to have its World Premiere the second night of the SXSW Film Festival in April, 2020, but the festival was canceled due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus.

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• Sep 7, 2020
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Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne

Featuring exclusive interviews and archival footage, this documentary special delves into the many lives and incredible career of the man who has personified rock and roll rebellion for decades. The profile traces Ozzy's life from a childhood in poverty and time in prison, to fronting legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Black Sabbath and a successful Grammy Award-winning solo career, to becoming one of rock's elder statesmen and a loveable 21st-century television dad.

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See Ozzy Osbourne Turn Introspective in Documentary Trailer

• By Kory Grow

Ozzy Osbourne parses feeling like a split personality — “John” (his given name) and “Ozzy” — in the first few frames of the trailer for the upcoming documentary, Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne. The film will premiere at this spring’s South by Southwest festival.

The 86-minute film, which A&E produced as part of its “Biography” series, will tell the story of the former Black Sabbath singer: from childhood to solo stardom to reality-TV megafame. Ozzy, Sharon and Jack Osbourne are among the executive producers of the picture, which former Osbournes producer R. Greg Johnston directed.

“I use the talent of making people feel somewhat entertained when I was goofing around — to take it onstage with my music, I suppose, is the same kind of a thing,” Ozzy says in one revealing moment.

“I don’t know what music would be like if it weren’t for the influence of Ozzy,” Rick Rubin says. “Ozzy changed everything.”

“I think Ozzy’s music is timeless,” Ozzy’s recent collaborator, Post Malone, offers. “It makes me cry and gives me the chills.”

The trailer shows Ozzy looking at pictures of himself as a child and goofing around during his Sabbath days. It also show him onstage as a solo artist over the years. In addition, it features commentary from Kelly, Sharon and Jack Osbourne, along with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. Ice-T and Korn’s Jonathan Davis are also featured in the documentary.

“He left one of the biggest rock bands in the world and became bigger — a credible artist on his own, finding great new talent. And then [he] made it huge on TV,” Sharon says. “Nobody had done that.”

After injuries from a fall sidelined Osbourne for most of 2019, the singer will be putting out a new album, Ordinary Man , next month. Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith comprise the rhythm section for the album, which also features guest appearances by Elton John, Tom Morello, Slash and Post Malone. He’s planning on returning to the stage this spring for another North American leg of his No More Tours 2 trek.

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For over five decades, Ozzy Osbourne has personified rock and roll, from his childhood in poverty and time in prison, to fronting metal band Black Sabbath, a successful solo career and a lovable 21st century television dad.

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‘Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne’ Is Affectionate If Predictable Portrait of Rock’s Prince Of Darkness

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• Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne

There’s a great Black Sabbath live show from 1975 that you can listen to on YouTube , which finds the band at their peak, playing songs from their entire discography with breathtaking power and precision. It’s like watching the Moon crash into the Earth, gasping in horror as the world is incinerated but finding beauty in the cataclysmic hues of red, yellow and orange. Towards the end of the show, after “Spiral Architect” and before “Children of The Grave,” singer Ozzy Osbourne says, “We’d just like to say on behalf of the guys and myself, you’re a good bunch of people and we love each and everyone of you.” There’s a sincerity to it. I believe him. For a guy that bills himself as “the f***ing prince of darkness,” that Ozzy, he seems like a pretty good guy.

Of course besides his amiability, Ozzy’s also a complete lunatic who’s battled alcoholism and drug addiction, defiled U.S. historical sites, been arrested multiple times and bitten the heads off doves and bats. He’s also a reality television star and most importantly one of the greatest singers and frontmen in rock n’ roll. His multiple incarnations are the subject of The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne , the latest installment of A&E ‘s Biography series, which premiered this past Monday.

Born John Michael Osbourne in 1948, Ozzy grew up in the battle ruins of post-World War II Britain. We see him revisit his impossibly small childhood home in Birmingham, England, where he was one of six children. Both parents worked factory jobs, his mother going to work after his father finished his night shift. “I felt like a peasant,” he says, “dirty” and “unclean.” He  suffered from anxiety and a “fear of impending doom.” 

An undiagnosed dyslexic, Ozzy was a bad student and class clown. He dropped out at 15, working soul crushing factory jobs like his parents, but wanted out. He tried his hand as a petty thief, but wasn’t very good at it. After six weeks in jail for burglary he decided to become a musician, borrowing 250 pounds from his dad to buy a microphone and a PA.

The future Black Sabbath formed after Ozzy posted an ad at a local music shop. Owning a PA got him the job as lead singer. Inspired by The Beatles, blues, horror movies and the occult, they would help codify modern heavy metal, both musically and lyrically. On the back of heavy touring they were an almost immediate success. Ozzy says the first things he bought once he had money were new shoes and socks and a bottle of cologne, ever self-conscious of the squalor of his youth. 

By the time of Sabbath’s fourth album, they were doing so much coke they thanked their dealers in the liner notes. Drugs ruined relationships, including Ozzy’s first marriage, but also helped him deal with depression, fear and loss. He blames the 1977 death of his father for a bender which resulted in him being kicked out of the band. 

Down and out in Los Angeles, Ozzy’s life and career were resuscitated by Sharon Levy, whose father managed Black Sabbath. Sharon set him up with the backing band that would update his sound and image for the 1980s, centered around the brilliant young guitarist Randy Rhoads. Sadly, Rhoads would die in a freak airplane accident in 1982 and the singer coped the only way he knew how, with alcohol and drugs. By then, however, he was a big enough solo star that he could get as wasted as he wanted and wake up the next morning with his career intact.

Ozzy and Sharon were married in 1982 and she was pregnant with their oldest daughter Aimee 5 months later. He checked into rehab following the birth of daughter Kelly but relapsed 45 minutes after being discharged. The Osbourne kids say they adapted to their father’s addiction and erratic behavior. Crazy was normal. Things reached a head in 1989 when a drugged out Ozzy attacked his wife and was arrested for attempted murder. Following 6 months of treatment he was mostly sober, not without the occasional relapse, but never sinking to the depths of the past. 

What Sharon Osbourne calls “the four ring circus” of the family’s homelife became the premise for the hit reality television show The Osbournes . It made Ozzy a household name and a celebrity who rubbed elbows with the President, quite a feat for the boy from Birmingham “grew up with nothing,” as Kelly Osbourne notes. Despite their outrageousness, the Osbourne family clearly loved each other, pulling together in the bad times and celebrating like rock stars when things were good.

There’s no new revelations in The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne , no deeper examination of his life or artistry, but his charm and common touch are enough to keep you watching. It ends with the new 71-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee coping with old age, some illness, but happy to be here in one piece and eager to keep delivering music to his fans. As he says at the special’s conclusion, “You know the time when I will retire? When I can hear them nail a lid on my box. And then I’ll f***ing do an encore.”  

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter: @BHSmithNYC.

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Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne

Featuring exclusive interviews and archival footage, this profile delves into the many lives and incredible career of the man who has personified rock and roll rebellion.

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Featuring exclusive interviews and archival footage, this documentary special delves into the many lives and incredible career of the man who has personified rock and roll rebellion for decades. The profile traces Ozzy's life from a childhood in poverty and time in prison, to fronting legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Black Sabbath and a successful Grammy Award-winning solo career, to becoming one of rock's elder statesmen and a loveable 21st-century television dad.

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‘Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne’ To Premiere At South By Southwest Festival

‪The new documentary Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne will premiere at this spring’s South By Southwest festival. The film, which A&E produced as part of its Biography series, will celebrate the life of rock icon and godfather of heavy metal Ozzy Osbourne and features interviews with Sharon Osbourne, Rick Rubin, Ice-T, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Jonathan Davis and Post Malone. According to Rolling Stone , Ozzy, Sharon and Jack Osbourne executive produced the picture, which former Osbournes producer R. Greg Johnston directed.‬

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Ozzy Osbourne

British musician Ozzy Osbourne fronted the heavy metal band Black Sabbath before embarking on a successful solo career. He later became a reality TV star with 'The Osbournes.'

Who Is Ozzy Osbourne?

Ozzy Osbourne rose to fame in the 1970s as the frontman of the seminal heavy metal band Black Sabbath, delivering such iconic songs as "War Pigs," "Iron Man" and "Paranoid." He embarked on a successful solo career in 1979, earning attention for his outrageous public acts and drawing the ire of conservative groups. Osbourne later garnered a new legion of fans by starring with his family in the unlikely hit reality show The Osbournes .

Early Life and Career

John Michael Osbourne was born into a working-class family in Birmingham, England, on December 3, 1948. The fourth of six children, he acquired the nickname Ozzy while in elementary school, where he struggled with his dyslexia. These and other challenges prompted Osbourne to leave school at age 16, at which point he worked a series of menial jobs, including a stint in a slaughterhouse. He soon moved on to more illicit activities by committing a series of petty crimes, culminating with a brief prison sentence for burglary.

Throughout this turbulent period in his life, however, Osbourne nurtured a deep love for music, and after his release from prison, he began exploring his potential as a vocalist. In 1968 he teamed up with bass player Terence “Geezer” Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward to form the rock band Polka Tulk Blues, which they soon renamed Earth. While Earth earned some local notoriety, it wasn’t until the group began experimenting with the hard-driving, amplified sound that would later characterize the heavy metal genre, that they caught the attention of record producers. Since the band’s moniker was already in use by another group, they adopted the name Black Sabbath, a reference to the classic Boris Karloff film.

Black Sabbath Stardom

Released by Vertigo Records in 1970, Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album was largely panned by critics but sold well in England and abroad. With standout tracks like the title song, “The Wizard” and “Evil Woman,” Black Sabbath reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom and No. 23 on the American album charts. The group’s sophomore effort, Paranoid (1971), included the seminal metal anthems "War Pigs," "Iron Man," “Fairies Wear Boots” and "Paranoid," and took Black Sabbath to new heights, topping the charts in the U.K. and reaching No. 12 in the United States.

The band's use of religious symbolism and mythic themes lent a gothic cast to their public personae. It also earned them constant criticism from right-wing groups, negative publicity that simply fueled the band's popularity with its fan base, mostly young males. As was the case with their first two albums, their subsequent efforts Master of Reality (1971), Vol. 4 (1972) and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) all found chart success, eventually achieving platinum status in the United States on the strength of such metal classics as “Sweet Leaf,” “After Forever,” “Snowblind” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.”

Substance Abuse and Leaving Black Sabbath

With the release of 1975’s Sabotage , the band’s fortunes took a turn for the worse. Despite the strength of songs such as “Symptom of the Universe” and “Am I Going Insane,” the album failed to achieve the same status as its predecessors. Punctuating this shift, they were also forced to cut their subsequent tour short when Osbourne was injured in a motorcycle accident.

The band’s steady intake of drugs and alcohol — mostly by Osbourne — also added to the strain, along with the loss of fans to the burgeoning punk rock movement. Following the releases of Technical Ecstasy (1976) and Never Say Die (1978), Osbourne and his bandmates parted ways. Though Black Sabbath would carry on with various frontmen in the decades to come — including Ronnie James Dio, Dave Donato, Ian Gilliam, Glenn Hughes and Tony Martin — the group would never reach the same heights achieved during the Osbourne era, when they wrote and recorded some of heavy metal’s most memorable songs.

Solo Success: 'Blizzard of Ozz' and More

Unlike some artists, who fade into obscurity after leaving the groups that made them famous, Osbourne in 1980 delivered a solo debut, Blizzard of Ozz , that was a resounding commercial success. Featuring the singles “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley,” the album reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom and No. 21 in the United States, where it would eventually notch multi-platinum status. His 1981 follow-up, Diary of a Madman, performed equally well. The ensuing tour, however, was laden with misfortune, including a plane crash that killed guitar player Randy Rhoads and two other members of their entourage.

Throughout the 1980s, Osbourne continued to cultivate the image of the troubled loner and angry rebel, with his antisocial theatrics contributing to his public notoriety. Among his antics, he showered his audiences with raw meat and bit the head off a live bat onstage. Not everyone found his persona and dark music so appealing, and he was frequently singled out by religious conservatives who hoped to demonstrate the negative impacts of rock music on society.

Despite these and other challenges — including a 1986 stint in rehab — Osbourne continued to achieve commercial success, with the albums Bark at the Moon (1983), The Ultimate Sin (1986) and No Rest for the Wicked (1988) all going multi-platinum in the U.S. He ushered in the 1990s with his sixth solo offering, No More Tears (1991), which reached the Top 10 in the U.S. and featured the hit single of the same name.

In 1992 Osbourne announced that the No More Tears Tour would be his last. However, the popularity of the subsequently released double-live album, Live & Loud (1993), caused Osbourne to rethink his retirement, and the album’s version of "I Don't Want to Change the World" earned Osbourne his first Grammy Award. He returned to the studio for 1995’s Ozzmosis, and the following year he began to tour as part of a traveling metal festival, Ozzfest.

By the end of the decade, Osbourne's star was on the wane, and he continued to struggle with the substance abuse problems that had plagued him throughout his career. However, he found his way back into the spotlight in 2001 with the release of his eighth studio album, Down to Earth , which reached No. 4 in the United States and No. 19 in the United Kingdom.

'The Osbournes'

READ MORE: The 10 Most Outrageous Moments From The Osbournes

Hall of Famer

In 2005, Osbourne reunited with Black Sabbath for a tour, and the following year the heavy metal legends were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the induction ceremony, Metallica — one of the countless groups for whom Black Sabbath was a primary influence — performed “Iron Man” in honor of the band.

Despite the years of abuse to his body, Osbourne displayed impressive staying power by continuing to tour as part of Ozzfest. He returned to the studio to record Black Rain (2007), which topped out at No. 3 on the U.S. charts and followed with the equally well-received Scream (2010). In 2012 Osbourne reunited with his Sabbath bandmates to perform a series of concerts and record a new studio album, 13 , which earned its release the following year.

In 2015 the band announced plans for one final tour, fittingly dubbed The End. The following year they also released an album of that name, comprised of unreleased tracks from 13 and several live performances. The tour wrapped up in the band members' hometown of Birmingham in February 2017.

One year later, Osbourne announced the dates for the North American leg of No More Tours 2, the final tour of his career. Although he noted that he wanted to spend more time with his family, the legendary headbanger insisted that he wasn't retiring as a musician, and would continue playing smaller gigs and remaining involved with Ozzfest.

Marriage to Sharon, Family Life and 'World Detour'

Osbourne married his manager, Sharon, in 1982. They had three children together, Jack, Kelly and Aimee. Jack and Kelly appeared with their parents on The Osbournes , but Aimee demurred. Osbourne also has had three children from a previous marriage to Thelma Riley and now has several grandchildren as well.

In May 2016, Sharon and Osbourne announced their plans to divorce after more than three decades together. According to Us Weekly , the split came after Sharon learned of Osbourne's alleged affair with a celebrity hairstylist. However, two months later the couple that had endured so many ups and downs together decided to try to make the relationship work. In July, Osbourne, appearing on Good Morning America with their son, Jack, said the marriage was not over. “It’s just a bump in the road,” he said. "It's back on track again.”

Around that time, father and son also returned to the familiar realm of reality TV with Ozzy & Jack's World Detour . Lasting three seasons, the show captured the two globetrotters visiting both iconic landmarks and off-the-beaten-path attractions.

Parkinson's Diagnosis and 'Ordinary Man'

In a January 2020 interview with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, Osbourne revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The following month, he canceled the North American leg of his No More Tours 2 tour, citing the need to travel to Europe for treatment and recovery.

A few days later, however, the artist showed he was still raging against the dying of the light with the release of his 12th solo studio album, Ordinary Man , featuring collaborations with Elton John , Post Malone and Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash.

A&E Biography Special: 'The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne'

A&E Network’s Emmy Award-winning “Biography” banner premiered a new documentary special celebrating one of rock’s biggest stars. Featuring exclusive interviews and archival footage, Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne , which premiered Labor Day, September 7 at 9/8c on A&E, delved into the many lives and incredible career of the man who has personified rock and roll rebellion for decades

Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne traced Ozzy’s life from his childhood in poverty and time in prison to fronting legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Black Sabbath and successful Grammy Award-winning solo career, to one of rock’s elder statesman and a loveable 21st-century television dad. The two-hour documentary explored how Ozzy has continually reinvented himself and his career to propel himself toward greater success. As Ozzy turns 70, he reflected on the intimate details of his successes, failures, and his unique ability for survival and perseverance—including never-before-seen interviews about his recent Parkinson’s diagnosis. The documentary, a selection of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, also featured interviews with Sharon , Kelly and Jack Osbourne as well as friends and fellow musicians including Rick Rubin, Ice-T , Marilyn Manson , Rob Zombie, Jonathan Davis, Post Malone and more.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth date: December 3, 1948
• Birth City: Birmingham
• Birth Country: England
• Best Known For: British musician Ozzy Osbourne fronted the heavy metal band Black Sabbath before embarking on a successful solo career. He later became a reality TV star with 'The Osbournes.'
• Astrological Sign: Sagittarius

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The song that changed Ozzy Osbourne’s life: “We should write scary music”

As the Summer of Love got started, it felt like rock and roll could start to change the world. It started off as a fad that would have probably worn out its welcome after a few years, but the minute artists like The Beatles started branching out into different territory, what was once an average pop song became something that could be appreciated on the same level as high art. While most of it was positive, many bands were looking to explore the darker side of life, and Ozzy Osbourne knew that something had changed when Black Sabbath made their first song.

Out of all the instances when people claimed that the hippie movement died off, there’s a good case to be made that Sabbath put the final nail in the coffin. The riots happening in America didn’t help matters, and the tragedy at the Altamont Festival marked the end of idealism, but as soon as bands started making songs about dealing with black magic and devils, it seemed like every great hope for humanity had finally been snuffed out.

But was that really a bad thing? Black Sabbath may get the credit or the blame for tearing down the era of Flower Power, but their tunes were just the wake-up call many fans needed to move on with their lives. Whereas everyone else was practising love and freedom, Sabbath was given the cold, hard truth about what was really going on on the ground floor.

That wasn’t where life started for Osbourne, though. He had grown up wanting to be a Beatle just like every other singer at the time, but even when he started singing in the pre-Sabbath band Earth, a lot of the music they were playing was 12-bar blues numbers, typically the kind of thing that you would find in early Led Zeppelin records.

During one rehearsal, though, Osbourne said that the group’s entire mentality seemed to shift on a dime, telling Rolling Stone , “We rehearsed at a community centre near Tony Iommi’s house, across the road from a movie theatre. It was showing something like The Vampire Returns. [Iommi said], ‘Don’t you think it’s weird that people pay money to be scared? Maybe we should write scary music.’ That’s when we came up with ‘Black Sabbath’. That was the fucking change of my life.”

The tune’s foundation was still centred around blues tropes, but as soon as Iommi hit the tritone on his guitar, it was enough to send shivers down anyone’s back. Despite artists like Jimmy Page flirting with occult imagery in his live shows, Sabbath’s ode to a figure in black taking Osbourne down to hell marked a massive change in what rock was supposed to sound like.

While they weren’t critical darlings by any stretch, everyone lisening to Sabbath followed in their footsteps, making songs that tried to out-heavy one another in terms of raw aggression of how dark they could get. Whether it was the sound of heavy metal, goth, industrial, or any genre in between, Osbourne probably didn’t even realise that that one song didn’t just change his life. It changed the entire course of rock and roll.

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