Maritime music fans remember heavy metal and pop culture icon Ozzy Osbourne

Maritime fans remember Ozzy Osbourne – who passed away at the age of 76.

Music fans around the Maritimes are mourning the loss of one of the most famous figures in heavy metal history.

Ozzy Osbourne, known for decades as a solo artist and the lead singer of heavy metal band Black Sabbath, passed away on Tuesday according to a statement released by his family.

“Absolutely gutted. It feels like a family member has died, to be honest with you,” said Robbie Simms, a performer in the Sydney, N.S., area.

Simms started listening to Osbourne’s music when he was 15-years-old.

He remembers how he quickly found himself trying to emulate the man’s every move on stage.

“Once I heard him, I became addicted,” Simms said. “Like, I worshipped the man. I had to learn everything, every song, every album.”

Jim Deleskie of Sydney is a devoted superfan who even made the trip to Osbourne’s hometown of Birmingham, England, to see him perform.

“I’ve probably seen Ozzy, or Black Sabbath with Ozzy, at least 20 times,” Deleskie said. “I’ve met Ozzy six times. He is (like) somebody’s dad when you meet him. It’s like, not meeting your own father but meeting a father figure type person or a friend’s dad.”

Osbourne’s live show was well-known to Maritime audiences. He played at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax - then known as the Halifax Metro Centre - in 2008, and again with Black Sabbath in 2013.

“I’ll remember him as someone who brought a lot of joy to a lot of people, a lot of spark, and made some of the greatest rock and roll ever made,” Simms said.

Like many others, Simms feels it was only fitting that Osbourne got to perform one last time at home in Birmingham just 17 days before he died.

“We love you Oz. We’ll remember you forever. Cheers,” he said.

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