DEAR OZZY.......

In the crazy world of rock music,no other character exists like Ozzy Osbourne.He was the man who had put the flare vocals to Black Sabbath and became a millionaire through his nasal singing voice.

Ozzy is known to be THE MAN WHO EATS WHATEVER YOU CARE TO THROW AT HIM.Eversince "the bat incident" kids were  carrying huge chunks of raw meat and other dead animals at his concerts that got the nerves of most of the ladies at the PMRC.The incident,while we're on the subject,happened in 1982,when one teenage fellow threw the bat onstage and Ozzy,thinking it was only a rubber bat,sank his teeth right into it.As a result,he had to be treated with various rabies shots after the show.

His wild antics were legendary.It was said that he was banned for a while when he bit the head of a dove during a meeting with CBS Records executives.Highly intoxicated,the doves were originally intended to be set free as a sign of peace.

Even before he became "Ozzy" as we all know him today,he already had the proficiency of separating animals from their heads--thanks to a brief stint at the abattoir where he spent some time perfecting his act.

And then there was The Osbournes,a reality tv show featuring the domestic life of  heavy metal's finest godfather.Though not merely considered as a wholesome sitcom,it was one of the most viewed programs on MTV who produced it along with Sharon Osbourne--who is both Ozzy's wife and manager.

The Osbournes,photo courtesy of  MTV

The show highlights its main characters,Ozzy and Sharon along with their kids Jack and Kelly,with an older daughter Aimee refusing to participate.With the family constantly swearing and cursing,the bleeps used to censor it became the show's trademark as it turned out to be more of a comical sitcom rather than adult-oriented.Though some airings overseas were presented "as is" without any censorship from their respective networks as for MTV Canada,UK and Australia.

Funny enough,Ozzy himself looked more like a parkinson's patient rather than a rock star during the reality show's four season run.Perhaps his constant doping during the sixties and seventies has fried most of his brain's meninges which resulted to his slurred speech.

Though the show garnered a cult following,many critics expressed their disgust,with some people getting offended with the show's nature highlighting Ozzy's kids cursing their own parents.The final episode was aired in 2005 and it catapulted Ozzy's kids to stardom with Kelly Osbourne launching her own singing career.Sharon,on the other hand,had her own talk show with a theme similar to that of Sally Jesse Raphael's.

I first got to hear Ozzy Osbourne through my dad with those old Black Sabbath albums when I was a child back in the late 80s and early 90s without even knowing that he was the man behind that strange voice.The time I was also first getting into the Beatles and rock music.

I get to know more about him in the 90s upon listening to one tribute album for the Sabs.Not to mention his solo albums No More Tears and Ozzmosis which at the time were smash hits.And looking back to one awesome blast from the past,his debut solo album Blizzard Of Ozz.

Ozzy's connection with the fab four wasn't a secret and he has mentioned several times on books and interviews that he is,in fact,a huge Beatles fan.And even remembering the day hearing "She Loves You"  for the first time prompted him to get into the music scene.

He even made a tribute to John Lennon in 2010 by covering the song "How?" with a beautiful music video showing his sweet side,far from the bat biting he became notorious for decades earlier.

His publicity stunts were almost mythical and his cancer awareness proved that he was more than just a heavy metal hero,but a philantropist who screams for a good cause[His wife Sharon was a noted cancer survivor].Caught urinating in the Alamo by an outraged local,he was banned from the sacred Texan landmark for a while and caused him a few thousand dollars fine plus community service.

Sharon Osbourne/photo E! online

Ozzy has always mentioned that he can never be thankful enough for his wife Sharon,whom he had always referred to as the person who saved his life.She was the daughter of gargantuan producer Don Arden,whose label Roadrunner Records gave him a chance to audition during the difficult time that he was booted out of Black Sabbath.As a result,his solo career was enormous and his success came instantly with huge album sales.

The death of his guitarist and friend Randy Rhoads has caused Osbourne to spiral downwards once again as he painfully remembers that day seeing his friend's plane explode into smithereens.On one interview,he said that he never got over the death of his friend Randy and will always cherish his memories of him for as long as he live.

Ozzy's nightmare wasn't over yet when the parents of John McCollum sued him for being responsible over their son's apparent death.It was said that the teenage boy took his own life after listening repeatedly to one of Ozzy's songs called "Suicide Solution".The case was dismissed with the judge and jury all siding in Ozzy's favor.

Randy Rhoads/Starpulse

Ozzy may have been  a menace to other people but believe it or not,the prince of f**ckin' darkness definitely has a gentle side.He found another friend and ally-a Japanese boy by the name of Yuto Miyazawa,who at the age of 10 can eventually pull off the guitar riffs of both Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde combined.He met the boy at Ellen Degeneres' show and has been playing with most of his gigs since.Miyazawa,was a youtube sensation and has been playing huge guitar riffs by Black Sabbath even before he met Ozzy.

Ozzy Osbourne with Japanese guitar prodigy Yuto Miyazawa

Japanese boy wonder Yuto Miyazawa

2012 saw Ozzy Osbourne announcing that he is retiring from the music business after two more albums.With the life he had and the fame and richest he earned from it,his life is almost content.Perhaps he wanted to do something on his own as he face the dawn of his life or not at all as he might still change his mind and continue rocking with us.Well,lets face it,everybody gets old and Ozzy's got one hell of a past and I guess he just wants to leave something for himself-the scrapbook of his life,one can quickly dub as the Diary Of A Madman,taken from one of his solo albums.

Music is not an easy thing to give up,but in the meantime,pack your stuff and off we go to the Ozzfest!

(c) Keith Vernon Adagio