See also African Americans; Drug Abuse Resis-
tance Education (D.A.R.E.); Epic films; Film in the
United States; Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of
1988; Latinos; Scorsese, Martin.
Osbourne, Ozzy
Identification Heavy metal rock musician
Born December 3, 1948; Birmingham, England
Osbourne’s heavy metal rock music as well as his outra-
geous, drug-induced antics made him a cult hero to his
fans. Parents and Christian groups, however, claimed that
he was a negative influence on youths.
Born John Michael Osbourne to a working-class
family, Ozzy Osbourne suffered a difficult early life.
Chronically depressed and an alcoholic, Osbourne
made several suicide attempts as early as age four-
teen. At fifteen, he dropped out of school; two years
later, he served two months in prison for burglary.
He had some success as a singer and in 1967, with
three other Birmingham youths, formed the Polka
Tulk Blues Band. The name was changed to Earth
until the group settled on Black Sabbath, which be-
came one of the preeminent hard rock bands of the
1970’s. Because of his unpredictable behavior, exac-
erbated by drugs, Osbourne was fired by Black Sab-
bath in 1978. In 1980, his solo career took off when
his first album,Blizzard of Ozz(1981), was certified
platinum. CBS Records was eager to sign him to a
long-term contract; however, during a contentious
meeting, Osbourne, drunk and carrying two live
doves as peace offerings, bit the head off one bird.
The story escalated to his eating live animals, and in
late 1981, at a concert in Des Moines, Iowa, fans
threw various animals on stage. Mistaking a live bat
for a rubber one, Osbourne bit off its head. In the
same tour, he urinated on the Alamo. Such bizarre
actions fueled his popularity, and the album he was
promoting,Diar y of a Madman(1981), was also certi-
fied platinum.
Osbourne’s popularity continued to grow. En-
hanced by the electric guitar of Randy Rhoads, Os-
bourne’s band was competing with the number one
heavy metal band, Van Halen. When Rhoads was740 Osbourne, Ozzy The Eighties in America
Ozzy Osbourne.(Paul Natkin)