Toronto musicians pay tribute to Black Sabbath frontman and 'lord of metal' Ozzy Osbourne
Osbourne 'opened doors for people with a different approach to music,' guitarist says
Ozzy Osbourne, legendary frontman of the rock band Black Sabbath, "opened doors" for people who wanted to play heavy metal, Toronto musicians said following news of his death.
Osbourne died Tuesday morning at the age of 76, his family said in a statement. No cause of death has been provided, but Osbourne disclosed five years ago that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
His death comes more than two weeks after his final show on July 5 in Birmingham, U.K., where he performed while sitting on a throne. He and the original members of Black Sabbath reunited for the concert in front of about 42,000 fans.
Members of tribute bands and experts on rock music in Toronto said Osbourne had a major impact on music.
Jaye Schwarzer, bass guitarist for the Toronto-based punk rock band Cancer Bats, said Osbourne had a "distinct and unique" voice that wasn't found in pop music when he came onto the scene, which made him stand out.
"He's the lord of metal. He's the prince of darkness. He made it cool to not conform," Schwarzer said on Tuesday.
'A different approach to music'
Cancer Bats, using the name Bat Sabbath, have performed as a Black Sabbath tribute band. Schwarzer said it was special to see Black Sabbath twice.
Schwarzer said when Black Sabbath was becoming known, pop bands such as the Bee Gees were big.
"Nobody sounded dark and evil like they did," he said. "And so, it just opened doors for people with a different approach to music to say, you can do this."
Osbourne rose to prominence in the late 1960s with Black Sabbath, becoming known as the father of heavy metal. In the 1980s, he launched a successful solo career. He became infamous for biting the head off a bat on stage and for his drug-fuelled lifestyle.
He later reinvented himself as a lovable, but foul-mouthed, reality TV star with his family.
'He championed heavy metal for the masses'
Roland Murray, a guitar player for The Ozzy Experience, an Ozzy Osbourne Black Sabbath tribute band based in Toronto, said he was "devastated" to hear that Osbourne had died.
"He championed heavy metal for the masses," Murray said.
"Rest in peace, Ozzy. I'm going to miss you. People around the world are going to miss you."
'The metal equivalent of Elvis Presley dying'
Alan Cross, host of The Ongoing History of New Music, a music history documentary radio program in Canada produced by Corus Entertainment, said Osbourne's legacy cannot be underestimated and his impact on the music industry is undeniable.
"This is the metal equivalent of Elvis Presley dying. This is how big a deal it was. Ozzy was this character who has been with us since 1969. He survived a billion things that would have killed anybody else. In the meantime, he and Black Sabbath helped invent a brand new style of music known as heavy metal," Cross said.
"That style of music has influenced countless bands over the last 50 years. And Ozzy himself became a star, a solo star, with a sound of his own in the 1980s, 1990s. And then he became this TV star, and really, if you want to look at it, a pioneer of reality television," he added.
"One of the things about Ozzy is, no matter where he went, he was adored and people loved him."
Osbourne is survived by wife and manager Sharon; five children, including Jack, Kelly and Aimee; and several grandchildren.
With files from Thomson Reuters and The Associated Press