From his desolate wail on Black Sabbath’s doomy 70s masterpieces, to the twisted self-awareness of his huge-selling solo albums, Osbourne’s vocal style influenced generations of heavy metal

The frontman, who with Black Sabbath helped pioneer heavy metal in 1970s England, always found new ways to reinvent himself.

The rocker helped define the sound, look and attitude of metal. But his persistence through addiction, his connection to audience and a late-career reality TV show endeared him to…

He pioneered heavy metal, became an unlikely reality TV star and performed a colossal final concert two weeks before his death.

Having escaped a life of drudgery in Birmingham, Ozzy became the rare rock frontman you could relate to – and then, against the odds, a national treasure

‘I’m something of a madman... If it’s booze, I drink the place dry. If drugs, I take everything and scrape the carpet for little crumbs’

From his desolate wail on Black Sabbath’s doomy 70s masterpieces, to the twisted self-awareness of his huge-selling solo albums, Osbourne’s vocal style influenced generations of…

His vocals gave rise to the entire genre of heavy metal, but his Villa Park show reminded us Ozzy’s voice was never a grunt or growl – it was a soul’s wail

After Osbourne’s death at 76, the heavy metal greats he inspired remember his pranks, generosity and quadruple brandies – and relive the tears at his farewell show

As the lead singer of Black Sabbath, he helped invent heavy metal. On “The Osbournes,” he presented a comedic counterpoint to his rock ’n’ roll infamy.