Farewell To The Godfather of Metal, Ozzy Osbourne, and His Enduring Style

“Ozzy Forever,” the banner read, fluttering faintly above the stage at Villa Park, as if whispering its own eulogy. Beneath it, seated in a black leather chair, Ozzy Osbourne, 76, the lead vocalist of British heavy metal band Black Sabbath unshakable, impossibly himself gazed into a crowd of 42,000. Gold armband glinting. Eyeliner still sharp. A crucifix around his neck that caught the light like a last rite.

It was July 5, and Birmingham was soaked in nostalgia and distortion. The city that birthed Black Sabbath had come full circle to host its prodigal son’s final performance. A farewell not just to the band that rewired rock ‘n’ roll, but to a man whose style could quiet arenas as much as his scream could shake them.

The Prince of Darkness, in his hometown, saying goodbye not with a whisper, but with four Sabbath anthems, five solo classics, and one perfectly timed growl: “Are you ready? Let the madness begin.”

It would be the last time we saw him onstage a few weeks ago.

Long before he was The Prince of Darkness, Ozzy was a boy in a borrowed pyjama shirt and no shoes, making music with three other lads from Aston according to his 2009 memoir I Am Ozzy.

He also recounted an early stint in jail after stealing shirts from a local clothing shop; a crime that ended in a six-week sentence and a rethink of his path. Not long after, he grew his hair long, got tattoos, and joined forces with childhood friends to form Black Sabbath in 1968.

Black Sabbath’s rise from Birmingham basements in the 19 to world stages brought with it an aesthetic as heavy as their sound, crushed velvet shirts, flared pants, draped crucifixes, and an aura of post-industrial gloom.

Darkness became a language that Ozzy spoke fluently over the years.

Unlike the hippie psychedelia swirling around in San Francisco and London, Sabbath’s look was all soot and leather. Ozzy wore long coats that moved like shadows, heavy boots, embraced the Gothic with theatrical flair including black eyeliner, teased hair, skull rings, and crucifixes layered like armour alongside his signature cross—crafted by his father, a toolmaker—signifying a working-class talisman in a world full of pretense.

Years later, when the reality show The Osbournes aired, the Ozzy we knew on the stage in his black outfits and all-rounded glasses was the same in his abode. The same unhinged humour that made you laugh: “I thought I had seen it all, until I saw a dog therapist”; “They say I bit the head off a bat... but people forget I also bit the head off a dove. I was on a roll.”) and the voice that sounded like thunder and punk despite any years invested in classical training.

And just like his music, Ozzy’s fashion had its own volume: loud, layered, and entirely unforgettable. Here are some of the looks that defined him across decades.

On July 22, 2025, Ozzy Osbourne, who was battling Parkinsons, died surrounded by family, his wife Sharon and children by his side. Just a day earlier, his final Instagram post showed the backstage poster from his last show that was a touching tribute to Black Sabbath titled “Back to the Beginning.”

Rest In Peace Prince of Darkness.