Sharon Osbourne says her husband Ozzy Osbourne should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.
“They know that Ozzy deserves to be there,” she recently told The Adam Carolla Show [via Classic Rock]. “They know he’s been a solo artist. You’ve gotta be doing it for 25 years. He’s been 43 years as a solo artist.”
Ozzy’s debut solo album, Blizzard of Oz, arrived in 1980, making him eligible for solo induction since 2005.
“He sold nearly a hundred million albums as a solo artist,” Sharon continued. “So where is he? Induct him.
“I will never beg, and I will never ask for favors. I’ve never asked anyone for a favor. So, my thing is fuck you if you don’t realize that somebody really deserves to be here. And you don’t recognize that? Then, see ya.”
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Ozzy was inducted into the Hall in 2006 as a member of Black Sabbath, but for years prior to that he made clear the Rock Hall was not a priority for him.
“Just take our name off the list,” he said in a statement in 1999, the year Black Sabbath received their third Hall nomination. “Save the ink. Forget about us. The nomination is meaningless because it’s not voted on by the fans. It’s voted on by the supposed elite of the industry and the media, who’ve never bought an album or concert ticket in their lives, so their vote is totally irrelevant to me.”
What Actually Matters to Ozzy Osbourne
As his health has declined in recent years, Ozzy has been forced to cancel a number of live performances and tour dates, including 2023’s Power Trip festival. At present, he’s unsure whether or not he’ll ever be able to return to the stage, but says he’s grateful for his fans either way.
“That’s one of the things I’ve been the most fucking pissed off at: I never got the chance to say goodbye or thank you,” he recently told Rolling Stone. “Because my fans are what it’s all about. If I can just do a few gigs…They’ve been loyal to me for fucking years. They write to me, they know all about my dogs. It’s my extended family really, and they give us the lifestyle we have. For whatever reason, that’s my goal to work to.”
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Gallery Credit: Jen Austin, UCR Staff
