Ozzy Had the X Factor
By Dan Brown A final word about Ozzy Osbourne as summer slowly gives way to fall. Osbourne – as you likely know – died this July, just days after performing at Black Sabbath’s farewell concert in his hometown of Birmingham, UK. But here’s the thing: If all Ozzy had ever been was the lead singer of Black Sabbath, his passing wouldn’t have sparked such a stir in the media. He didn’t just play a part in originating heavy metal. He didn’t just wail on songs like War Pigs and Paranoid. He was so much more: A solo star in his own right. Ozzfest impresario. Reality-show father. Ozzy was more than a vocalist. He was a star, which is a word that has lost so much of its meaning because it gets thrown around too much in 2025. Ozzy truly deserved the label because he transcended any one form of entertainment. After he was fired by Sabbath in 1979, the singer proved his name alone was enough to draw tens of thousands of fans to live shows, to sell records, to pique the public’s interest. And after establishing himself separate from Sabbath, he – aided by his crafty wife, Sharon – launched a series of concerts that bore his name. With Ozzfest, he became a brand. Then came The Osbournes in the early 2000s. Ozzy followed in the footsteps of actors such as Leslie Nielsen and William Shatner, who took their screen personas and inverted them in their later years, turning their own image inside-out, making it fodder for comedy by poking fun at the super-serious performances that made them famous. Ozzy generated four seasons of laughs by taking his Prince of Darkness shtick – well earned in the 1980s with the gnawing of doves and bats – and juxtaposing it with his doddering-dad act. This was the guy who our parents warned us about? Ozzy was able to do this because he had what Simon Cowell calls “the X factor.” It’s the undefinable quality that makes a star a star. It’s what makes them compelling to the general public. It’s that thing that makes Cowell himself say on TV talent shows, “I like you. You’re interesting.” The X factor can’t be quantified, but it can be described. It’s the right stuff of the entertainment industry and other famous people have had it, like Harry Belafonte, David Bowie, Barbara Streisand, Madonna, and Lady Gaga. Ozzy is just the latest well-known person to exemplify it. The X factor allowed Ozzy to change with the times and the tastes of the day. It made him a show-business survivor over a number of decades, an enduring presence on both stage and screen. It’s hard enough to have just one hit song, let alone a career in different areas of the arts that lasts and lasts. His X factor made Ozzy, more than anything else, an entertainer. Is it possible to trace where Ozzy got his X-factor from? Some would say it must have been a deal with the devil, but surely being a working-class bloke from a regular family had a lot to do with Ozzy’s lasting Everyman appeal. Does that mean anyone can be Ozzy? I’m not sure. Let me know when the next Ozzy Osbourne comes along, and we’ll have our answer. If that ever happens. Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
