On July 22, the world lost Ozzy Osbourne, the self-styled Prince of Darkness.
His death at 76 has been mourned far beyond his fan base. Ozzy was a cultural icon whose eccentricity, vulnerability, and creativity fused into an indelible brand.
It began with his years in Black Sabbath, the band he formed in the 1960s, and endured through his solo career. Ozzy’s voice became a rallying cry for generations of misfits and visionaries.
His legacy lives not only in the music he made, but also in the brand he built around his personality and history. Nobody understood branding better than Ozzy. As our colleague Alan Brew says, he created a “compelling truth” around his authenticity and nonconformity.
In 1979, he was axed from Black Sabbath. The reasons were a litany of Ozzy’s behavioral problems: dangerous behavior, LSD use, and cocaine addiction. His first solo record, Blizzard of Ozz, a play on The Wizard of Oz and a nod to his nickname and his love of the “white stuff.” Scandalous as it sounds, he didn’t run from the image; he embraced it as the foundation of his brand.
The Making of the Prince of Darkness
Ozzy crafted his image meticulously. Album covers balanced theatrical, often kitschy satanic scenes with enough restraint to appeal to a broad audience. The music, however, was serious. His first hit, “Crazy Train,” paired blistering guitar solos with Cold War commentary: Maybe it’s not too late / To learn how to love / And forget how to hate.
The quality of the music lent credibility and anchored the Ozzy brand’s value. Every public moment reinforced the mix of performance art and provocation. Whether biting the head off a bat onstage or a dove in a meeting with CBS Records executives, he lived to unsettle the mainstream—always with a mischievous grin. Humble, kind, and a little hapless, he delighted audiences. Beneath the shock, there was a love of history, flashes of introspection, and a streak of humor that came to the fore later in his career. His brand’s appeal paved the way for The Osbournes TV show, where a glimpse into his real life proved even more endearing than the stage persona.
“We have to dare to be ourselves, no matter how frightening or strange that self may prove to be”
Mary Sarton
The Ozzy Brand Becomes Legend
Through the lens of history, it’s clear his brand helped define a genre. Ozzy shrugged off the heavy metal label, preferring to call it rock and roll, but Black Sabbath created the sound – and he carried it into his solo work.
Grounded in authenticity, he stayed true to his roots, his voice, and his style. In dark, heavy rock, there has been only one prince. Everyone else follows the trail he carved through the darkness.
