Ozzy Osbourne didn’t become known as the “Prince of Darkness” merely for his heavy metal music or his sinister onstage attire and antics—though stunts like biting the head off of a bat during a show in Des Moines certainly didn’t hurt his case. Rather, Ozzy’s legend lives in the many tales of the mischievous, agent-of-chaos manner in which he lived life between gigs, the same astonishingly reckless behavior that got him canned as the frontman for Black Sabbath in 1979, banned from the city of San Antonio in 1982, and so forth.

While each of these shocking stories comes with a strict “do not try this at home” warning from your friends at Live For Live Music—drugs are bad, mmkay?—their shock value is undeniable. In honor of Ozzy Osbourne turning 76 today, take a look back at some of the most outrageous tour stories from throughout his career as told by the fellow musicians and other associates who were dragged along for the ride.

Ozzy Osbourne & Drugs

[Video: No Name]

First, a classic: the drug-fueled havoc rained down on unsuspecting hotels when Mötley Crüe went on tour with Ozzy back in 1985 (“I don’t remember the shows, to be honest with you,” Osbourne once confessed of the run). Of note, the “snorting ants” story told in the video was included in Mötley Crüe’s tell-all 2001 memoir, The Dirt, and was later dramatized for the 2018 Netflix film adaptation of the same name. Below, watch Tommy Lee recount Ozzy and Nikki Sixx‘s gentlemen’s contest to see who could be the most depraved:

Tommy Lee On Partying With Ozzy Osbourne

[Video: Katerina Malevskaya]

Zakk Wylde undoubtedly has his fair share of Ozzy Osbourne stories from his many years as the Prince of Darkenss’ lead guitarist. In this clip from Loudwire, Wylde explains a stealth bathroom beer handoff on the night the band recorded their Live at Budokan record at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan back in 2002.

Zakk Wylde Tells An Ozzy Osbourne Drinking Story

[Video: Loudwire]

In this one, Wylde talks about how he first bonded with “the boss”—by getting blasted with him. “We were the gruesome twosome,” he laughs. “No one would hang out with him except for me.”

Zakk Wylde Talks Bonding With Ozzy Osbourne

In this next clip, Rob Zombie recounts a wild night with Ozzy Osbourne and another famously belligerent partier, Rick James. Of course, the requisite substances and ensuing chaos played a role there.

Rob Zombie Talks Hanging With Ozzy Osbourne & Rick James

[Video: Fuse]

Of course, living like this makes an eventual crash nearly inevitable, and there are plenty of examples of Ozzy’s substance abuse producing dangerous results. In the 2019 interview from 60 Minutes Australia below, Sharon Osbourne talks about the harrowing night when Ozzy, in a state of booze-addled psychosis, convinced himself that she needed to die and attempted to kill her himself.

Sharon Osbourne On The Night Ozzy Tried To Strangle Her

[Video: 60 Minutes Australia]

Thankfully, Ozzy has calmed down considerably these days. He’s maintained long periods of sobriety in recent years as he’s battled health issues like Parkinson’s Disease. We’re glad that Ozzy’s still kicking and trying to take care of himself. By preserving his health, he’s maintaining that restless, exuberant spirit that made so many fans fall in love with him to begin with.

As Osbourne told The Mirror in a 2020 interview, “You know the time when I will retire? When I can hear them nail a lid on my box. And then I’ll f***ing do an encore. I’m the Prince of Darkness.” Here’s hoping that’s way down the road. Happy birthday, Oz!

[Originally published 12/3/21]