Ozzy Osbourne (born John Michael Osbourne; 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the band Black Sabbath, widely considered to be the first heavy metal band. Osbourne has also had a successful solo career, releasing 11 studio albums. Osbourne’s total album sales from his years in Black Sabbath, combined with his solo work, is over 100 million. In the early 2000s, he became a TV star, appearing as himself in the MTV reality program The Osbournes, alongside wife/manager Sharon and two of their three children, Kelly and Jack. (More from Wikipedia)
Another former Runaway, Lita Ford became prominent in heavy metal in the 1980’s; her manager was Sharon Osbourne. Ford had a hit single with “Kiss Me Deadly”; she and Ozzy Osbourne (Sharon’s husband) recorded one of the great heavy metal duets in 1988, “Close My Eyes Forever” (included on her third album Lita). Lita Ford married Chris Holmes of the controversial heavy metal band W.A.S.P.
(November 2013)
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The website beliefnet.com has a Celebrity Faith Database and lists lead singer Ozzy Osbourne as a Christian. I have read other quotes where he rails against Satanism; and truly, you have to listen hard to find anything Satanic in the band’s lyrics – it is mostly the music that is very dark. The quote from beliefnet.com about Osbourne says: “Surprise! Ozzy Osbourne, AKA the Prince of Darkness, is actually a Christian, or in the least deeply connected to the religion. Despite references to Satanism and biting the head off of a bird, Ozzy found himself a member of the Church of England in 1992, saying that he prayed before every performance. He hasn’t spoken publicly about his faith since, but it has continued to be a subtle part of who he is. Ozzy’s marriage to wife Sharon Osbourne has certainly gone the distance; and his once wild, drug fueled lifestyle has tempered into a sober one. Ozzy was seen wearing crosses many times on his successful reality show [The Osbournes], even taking time to kiss the cross every now and then.”
(October 2014)
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