Short and sweet appeared to be the order of the day as Ozzy Osbourne was inducted at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame on Saturday evening.
The Black Sabbath legend was welcomed to the stage by actor and singer Jack Black as the event got underway at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
Ozzy, who is battling Parkinson’s Disease, arrived on a throne adorned with bat wings as he accepted his second Hall Of Fame entry.
The self-styled Prince of Darkness had previously been inducted in 2006 as a member of iconic heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath.
Paring his speech back on Saturday, Ozzy thanked the voters, his fans and his family for supporting him throughout a colourful career spanning more than 50 years.
Short and sweet appeared to be the order of the day as Ozzy Osbourne was inducted at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame on Saturday evening
The Black Sabbath legend was welcomed to the stage by actor and singer Jack Black as the event got underway at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland
Ozzy, who is battling Parkinson’s Disease, arrived on a throne adorned with bat wings as he accepted his second Hall Of Fame entry
He said: ‘Well, here we are. You know what? I can’t believe I’m here myself. Let me get the thank yous out of the way, because I’m not going to bore you with a long, drawn-out f**king monologue.
‘I’d like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for my solo work. A great thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.’
He added: ‘My fans have been so loyal to me over the years, I cannot thank them enough. I’ve been fortunate over the years to play with some of the world’s greatest guitar players, drummers, bass players, and a few of them are here tonight.’
Ozzy also paid tribute to his former guitarist Randy Rhoads; a pivotal member of the singer’s band following his departure from Black Sabbath.
Rhoads would regularly admonish him for his use of drugs and alcohol before he was tragically killed in a 1982 plane crash, aged just 25.
He added: ‘But I’ve got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I’d hadn’t have met Randy Rhoads, I don’t think I’d be sitting here now.
‘And more than that, my wife Sharon. Saved my life. And my grandbabies and my babies. I love them all.’
Introducing Ozzy in front of a star-studded audience, Black admitted listening to his music as a child influenced his own musical direction with Tenacious D.
‘I remember the first time I heard of Ozzy,’ he recalled. ‘I was 13 years old, wandering around the record store. What should I get? Styx? Journey? An older rock aficionado noticed my indecision, and he said, “Stop f**king around, kid. This is the album you need to get, Blizzard of Ozz.”
In a short acceptance speech, Ozzy thanked his family for their support (pictured on Saturday evening with wife Sharon and son Jack)
Ozzy also paid tribute to his former guitarist Randy Rhoads; a pivotal member of the singer’s band following his departure from Black Sabbath, he died in a 1982 plane crash aged just 25
Ozzy’s daughter Kelly was also in attendance at the event in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday night
Jack Black appeared absolutely overjoyed to induct Ozzy Osbourne into the Rock Hall
‘Man, was he right! Thank you, nameless rock aficionado, wherever you are, you changed my life. I remember looking at that album cover at Ozzy’s face before I even heard the music. I was transfixed.
‘He looked so cool, that red-white suit with the white fringe on the sleeves, that crazy look in his eyes, the skull, the cross. Holy shit. The whole thing just looked so badass.
‘It was the most metal thing I’d ever seen, and I didn’t even know what metal was. He was teaching me. I didn’t realize I was entering a whole new world of heavy metal music.’
Initially, there was hope that Ozzy would perform but several health issues such as Parkinson’s disease, spine problems resulting in a fourth surgery in 2023, and pain from his 2003 ATV accident, derailed any possibility.
As a result he remained seated on a black throne fit for a rock god throughout the Ozzy tribute celebration.
Black seemed to be in absolute heaven as the man who got to officially induct Osbourne into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
Seated on his throne, Osbourne received a standing ovation upon receiving his award.
Introducing Ozzy in front of a star-studded audience, Black admitted listening to his music as a child influenced his own musical direction with Tenacious D
Kelly and Jack with his daughters Andy and Minnie on the red carpet at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees Ceremony on Saturday evening
The British rocker watched as Black talked about worshipping Ozzy and Black Sabbath