Rock God Gene Simmons remembered the heavy metal godfather as a unique performer who was a thoughtful friend and family man with a majestic presence and warm heart on stage when the show ended.
Simmons, who co-founded the hard rock band Kiss in the 1970s, told NBCLA on Tuesday that he was struck by grief after learning that the messages on his phone were true. Ozzy Osbourne died at the age of 76.
“I said, ‘Ozzy’s death.’ Simmons said. “About a week ago, Ozzy seemed healthy. He was at a concert. Yes, he was in a chair, but all the energy – he was still Ozzy.”
A family statement said he died Tuesday but did not include the cause of death. In 2020, Osborne revealed he had Parkinson’s disease.
Growing up in Birmingham, England, Osborne listened to things like The Four Seasons, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and the Beatles about 90 miles north bands. The Black Sabbath frontman reinvented himself throughout his career. This equaled Osborne’s rising vocals when the band released their self-titled debut album as a heavy metal big bang in 1969.
The band fired Osborne about 10 years later, but reappeared as a solo artist the following year. It was followed by a series of heavy metal playlist essentials and reality TV shows at the forefront of the genre.
Through the ups and downs of Stardom, Simmons said Osborne remains the original.
“Before Ozzy, there was nothing like Ozzy, he was what scientists called singularity,” Simmons said. “For some reason, he came out of nowhere. Not from New York or Paris, not from flashy cities. He came from the industrial city of Birmingham. He was an ordinary man. Yes, on stage he was a prince of darkness. A loving father, a devoted husband.
Osborne is survived by his wife Sharon and his children.
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