The legendary Black Sabbath frontman, Ozzy Osbourne, died Tuesday at the age of 76. Just 17 days earlier, he stepped on stage for his final performance with the band in Birmingham, England. The music world is mourning. Tributes are pouring in. So are the old clips—especially the ones where Ozzy didn’t hold back on Trump.
His family confirmed the news in a short statement. Sharon Osbourne and their children said he passed away surrounded by love. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” they wrote. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Ozzy once told Rolling Stone that he didn’t “really like to talk politics that much.” But that didn’t stop him from calling Trump out. He did it more than once—and he meant every word.
In 2019, Trump used “Crazy Train” to taunt Democrats at a campaign event. Ozzy and Sharon were furious. Sharon posted, “Based on this morning’s unauthorized use of @OzzyOsbourne’s ‘Crazy Train,’ we are sending notice to the Trump campaign they are forbidden from using Ozzy’s music in political ads.” Then she added, “Maybe @KayneWest (‘Gold Digger’), @KidRock (‘I Am the Bullgod’) or @TedNugent (‘Stranglehold’) allow.”
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It wasn’t a joke. They made sure Trump never played it again.
Then in March 2020, Ozzy went on Good Morning Britain. Piers Morgan asked about Trump and the upcoming election. Ozzy replied, “When he wins, because I’m sure he’s going to win now, I don’t think there’s anyone else to get there.” But he didn’t stop there. He added, “He gets everybody moving, whether you agree with him or not. I don’t understand politicians. I think they should all form one big, huge rock band and see how they play!”
That was Ozzy. Straightforward. A bit lost in it all. But still saying what he thought.
Later that year, his tone changed. He spoke again to Rolling Stone, this time about Trump’s response to the COVID crisis. “In my lifetime, I’ve never known anything like this,” he said. “It’s getting worse, not better. And this guy’s acting like a fool.” He added, “Maybe he’s got a trick up his sleeve and he’s going to surprise us all, and I hope he has.” Then he said what millions were thinking: “Over a thousand more people died in one day [in America]. That’s f*ing crazy. People got to get with this social distancing and mask-wearing or else it’s never gonna go away.”
Then came 2024. On an episode of The Osbournes Podcast, Ozzy went even further. “I think Donald Trump is going to be the next president,” he said. “I think you can put money on it.” But he also asked, “Donald Trump is a felon, right? Correct me if I’m wrong, felons can’t own a gun. He can’t own a gun, but he could start World War III on his own.”
Featured image via Screengrab
