New York (AFP) – Ozzy Osbourne was a pioneering musician but the Black Sabbath frontman was perhaps best known in the mainstream for his antics — including offending all of Texas when he drunkenly urinated on the US state’s monument to its fallen Alamo heroes. The stunt earned him a years-long ban from playing in San Antonio, but after repeated apologies, the organization behind the Alamo site paid homage to Osbourne’s journey “from regret to reconciliation” in light of his death on Tuesday.
“We at the Alamo are saddened to hear of the passing of legendary musician Ozzy Osbourne. His relationship with the Alamo was marked initially by a deeply disrespectful incident in 1982,” the institution posted on social media. “However, redemption and reconciliation eventually became part of his history as well.”
The incident saw the self-styled “Prince of Darkness” — who was wearing his wife Sharon’s dress, in defiance of her bid to prevent him from going out by hiding his own clothes — relieve himself on the 60-foot cenotaph that stands as a Texas war memorial. The Alamo was the setting of a much-mythologized battle between Mexican and Texan troops in 1836.
Osbourne was arrested and barred for years from performing in San Antonio. But a decade later, he personally apologized to the then-mayor “and expressed genuine remorse for his actions,” including donating $10,000 to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. In 2015, he revisited the Alamo grounds “to learn and appreciate the site’s history,” said the institution, which added that Osbourne “openly demonstrated humility and understanding.”
That visit was filmed for a television show on The History Channel. “At the Alamo, we honor history in all its complexities,” read the statement. “Today, we acknowledge Ozzy Osbourne’s journey from regret to reconciliation at the historic site, and we extend our condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world. May he rest in peace.”
The British metal trailblazer died Tuesday at age 76, mere weeks after he played his final show in his home city of Birmingham.
© 2024 AFP
