Ozzy Osbourne gets final goodbye: Timeline of his controversial life

Ozzy Osbourne lived up to his title, Prince of Darkness.

The singer was a metal rock legend whose life was as controversial as a Rockstar's life can be.

Plagued with drugs, alcohol and even bats, the late singer has left behind a legacy that can not be forgotten.

After trying everything on the face of earth, the singer passed away on July 22 leaving his fans mourning who gathered in Birmingham to pay their last respects.

As the Black Sabbath has been laid to rest, here is a recount of all the controversial things he did that quintessentially made him who he was.

First Imprisonment at the age of 16

Before Black Sabbath was formed in 1968, Ozzy had already been to prison for a theft of television. Teenage Ozzy was caught stealing a TV set from a store in 1965. This led to him being arrested and spending six weeks in jail.

Battle with Addiction

Ozzy has admitted that his problem with alcohol started even before he joined Black Sabbath, from which he was eventually removed from following his prolific drug and alcohol abuse. He also admitted that since joining the band, he was high or drunk every single day.

Biting the head of a Dove

As disturbing as it sounds, Ozzy did bite off the head of a Dove. In 1981, before releasing his first ever solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, Ozzy was advised to keep three doves in his pocket and release them as a PR stunt. However, according to Mick Wall, Ozzy released two birds and bit the head of third.

The infamous Bat incident

Dove is not the only animal Ozzy bit into. In 1982, the music icon was hit with a live bat on stage while he was performing. While he thought it was a rubber bat, he bit into it but soon realised it was in fact real. The singer was quickly given medical treatment but the bat incident became associated with his brand image.

Deciding to ‘kill’ Sharon Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne, presumably intoxicated, decided to kill his wife Sharon by choking her with his hands. He said “we’ve come to a decision that you’ve got to die”, before nearly choking her to death. Police charged him with attempted murder but Sharon dropped the charges and Ozzy had to spend six months in a treatment facility.

Shooting 17 cats under drug influence

One of the most harrowing things Ozzy has done is shooting 17 pet cats to death under the influence of drugs. The singer made the confession much later that in 1980s, when he had recently ended his first marriage with Thelma Riley, he fatally shot 17 cats with a shotgun.

How did Ozzy Osbourne die?

Ozzy Osbourne passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, however the eventual cause of death has not been revealed.

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