Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
At this week’s “Hellfest Open Air” in Clisson, France, a brand-new six-meter statue dedicated to the late heavy metal pioneer Ozzy Osbourne was erected, as per theprp. This massive new sculpture was created by Philippe Pasqua, and on June 18th, Ozzy‘s widow Sharon flaunted it on social media. A statue of Osbourne‘s late buddy and fellow legend, Motörhead vocalist/bassist Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, has already been constructed on the festival grounds, so he is not the only member of rock and metal royalty to be honoured at the “Hellfest.”
I’m sorry I couldn’t be at Hellfest for the unveiling of Ozzy‘s statue. Unfortunately I had an unexpected trip to the hospital earlier in the week. A big thank you Olivier Garnier, Ben Barbaud and everyone at Hellfest. Special thank you to @philippe_pasqua_officiel for the absolutely stunning statue!
Ozzy Osbourne was a media personality, singer, and songwriter from England. He is known as the “Prince of Darkness” and is regarded as a heavy metal music pioneer. He became well-known in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of Black Sabbath, which he co-founded in 1968. Prior to his dismissal in 1979 because of his issues with alcohol and other drugs, he contributed to the band’s first eight studio albums, including “Black Sabbath”, “Paranoid” (both 1970), and “Master of Reality” (1971). Osbourne started a solo career in the 1980s after Ronnie James Dio took his place. He created his band with Randy Rhoads and Bob Daisley, and the two of them released the albums “Blizzard of Ozz” (1980) and “Diary of a Madman” (1981).
His onstage and offstage antics caused him controversy throughout the decade, and the Christian right accused him of spreading Satanism. The first seven of Osbourne‘s thirteen solo studio albums were certified multi-platinum in the US. He had multiple reunions with Black Sabbath. He returned from 1997 until 2005 and again in 2012, singing on the band’s final studio album, “13” (2013), before to their final tour, which concluded in 2017. Osbourne announced that the Back to the Beginning concert in Birmingham on July 5, 2025, would be his last owing to health concerns. 17 days later, he passed away.
