Ozzy Osbourne’s passing on 22 July continues to reverberate throughout the music industry. In the weeks since, countless musicians have come forward to talk about the impact the Prince of Darkness had on them. One such musician is Doncaster-born 28-year-old Yungblud, who joined Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Nuno Bettencourt at the VMAs to perform a tribute.
The group performed Mama, I’m Coming Home, Changes, and Crazy Train to the awe of the crowd, with Ozzy’s son, Jack, also taking to the stage. He said that his father would be “incredibly happy” to see his legacy continued to “help inspire” the next generation. Yungblud is very much part of the current generation inspired by the Black Sabbath frontman, and quite directly, too. Now, Yungblud’s revealed the key bit of advice Ozzy gave him.
In Honour of the Godfather of Metal
Ozzy Osbourne’s influence begins in the pubs of Birmingham, where he and his bandmates of Black Sabbath first put out their new twist on music. They leant into distorting their guitar sounds, emphatic drum lines, extended guitar solos, and Ozzy’s unique, atmospheric vocals to create a unique sound to defy the hippy-dippy songs that saturated the airwaves in defiance of real life in Aston. With that, Black Sabbath helped pioneer the metal genre.
With the band and as a solo artist, he cemented himself in music legend, helped by his outrageous personality and accompanying antics. It helped to propel him to stardom beyond music, getting him on the WWE, South Park, and making The Osbournes reality show a huge hit – and influencing many more to come.
Ozzy’s fame and popularity led to ventures even further afield in entertainment. Ventures like Ozzfest became colossal, with the man becoming a brand in himself. Ozzy even got his own online slot game, proving the appeal of official online jackpot games for music acts. Now, EDM artist deadmau5 has also given their likeness and sounds to slots. It sits in amongst other branded hits like Robocop, Terminator 2, and even Deadliest Catch.
Yungblud and His Mentor, Ozzy
Yungblud and Ozzy Osbourne were close, with the Prince of Darkness becoming his mentor. In 2022, their relationship led to Yungblud releasing The Funeral, with both Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne featuring in the music video. The rising British star was also invited to perform a cover of Changes at the final Back to the Beginning concert, at which, Yungblud gifted Ozzy a diamond cross necklace akin to what he’d been gifted by Osbourne prior.
To say the two were close would be an understatement, then. In early September of this year, on the Wild Ride! podcast, Yungblud imparted some of the wisdom that the late legend once gave to him. That wisdom was: “Never compromise. They’ll get it later.” While it may seem like a somewhat passive thing to say, the artist said that it takes on a lot of meaning to him personally now.
Yungblud is just one of possibly hundreds Ozzy has directly influenced and helped with his work, only furthering the legacy of one of Birmingham’s greatest icons.