Ozzy Osbourne, who died on Tuesday aged 76, forged a decades-long bond with Israel through his Jewish family, two arena-sized concerts in the country, and outspoken support for the fight against antisemitism, according to multiple interviews and reports.
Although the Black Sabbath frontman was raised in the Church of England, his marriage to television personality and manager Sharon Osbourne (Levy), whose father, Don Arden, was Jewish, put Judaism “at the heart of our household,” she told The Jewish Chronicle last year, adding, “Judaism is the only religion I have and the only one I’m comfortable with.”
Sharon recalled that from the start of their relationship, her husband wanted to understand antisemitism. “Why don’t people like Jews?” was a question Ozzy asked her “since the day we met,” she told Jewish News in December 2023, noting that the rocker remained “so confused” by today’s rise in Jew-hatred.
Ozzy on pilgrimage to Jerusalem
Osbourne first played Israel on September 29, 2010, headlining Ozzfest in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park. Asked about artists who had canceled appearances under political pressure, he replied, “I try to stay away from politics. They don’t understand me, and I don’t understand them,” according to CBS News.
Before the show, the couple spent a day touring Jerusalem’s Old City, the Western Wall, and Yad Vashem. “We were very pleased to have the opportunity to come to Israel and visit the holy sites,” the singer said, as reported by The Jewish Chronicle.
The self-styled “Prince of Darkness” returned eight years later on his “No More Tours 2” farewell swing, performing at Live Park in Rishon Lezion on July 8, 2018. When a reporter asked if boycott calls had reached the family, Sharon fired back, “I’m half a Heeb. We play where we want to play. That’s it,” a remark captured in a press briefing covered by The Jerusalem Post.
Osbourne’s solidarity extended beyond the concert circuit. In March 2025, he and Sharon joined more than 200 entertainment and business figures in an open letter demanding an inquiry into what they called “systematic bias against Israel” at the BBC, The Jewish Chronicle reported.
Israeli fans of the rock legend
Despite serious health problems that forced him to cancel subsequent world tour dates, Israeli promoters said Ozzy’s two shows drew tens of thousands of fans and helped pave the way for other hard-rock acts who later ignored boycott pressure.
With his death this week, tributes from Israeli fans flooded social media, many sharing photographs of the singer at the Western Wall or onstage at Hayarkon Park.