Ozzy Osbourne, legendary heavy metal rocker and lead singer of Black Sabbath, has died at 76.
The news was announced by his family in a statement on Tuesday. It comes just 17 days after what would become his final public appearance — a star-studded farewell show in his hometown of Birmingham, England, featuring Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and other icons of heavy metal.
While you might not think of Ozzy — whose career spanned more than five decades — as having ties to Michigan, the Prince of Darkness proposed to his wife, Sharon Osbourne, in Kalamazoo back in 1981.
Sharon posted a photo of the moment on Facebook and Twitter in 2015, writing: “The day Ozzy proposed to me in Kalamazoo, MI ’81. #fbf”
When the photo resurfaced, MLive tried to pinpoint a concert date or tour stop that brought Ozzy to Michigan that year — but came up empty. To this day, it remains a mystery why Ozzy was in Kalamazoo that day.
Ozzy would keep returning to Michigan over the years especially through Ozzfest, bringing heavy metal’s biggest acts to the DTE Energy Music Theatre nearly every summer throughout the late '90s and 2000s.
His final Ozzfest appearance in the state was in 2007, marking the end of a decade-long run of unforgettable shows in Clarkston.
WKAR’s Inside The Arts correspondent Scott Pohl, who wrote freelance record and concert reviews in the 1970s and ’80s, says Ozzy Osbourne made a lasting impression on him — even from afar.
"The debut Black Sabbath album was one of the first albums I ever bought, but I never saw Black Sabbath or Ozzy Osbourne, sadly, even though I did live in town when he performed at the former Lansing Civic Center on February 5, 1982. He was not just a pioneer in heavy metal, he was a giant. It's great that he got to perform one last time at that recent tribute concert. RIP, Ozzy!"