Ozzy and Me: Life Lessons, Wild Stories, and Unexpected Epiphanies from Forty Years of Friendship with the Prince of Darkness

The love for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath radiates from Birmingham like a beacon, echoing through generations and across continents. In a city scarred by war and defined by resilience, Birmingham once fueled the industrial might that helped turn the tide against the Nazis during World War II. Its people, hardened yet hopeful, carried the echoes of air raids and ration lines into a new era—an era where music became a way to rise above the rubble.

From this landscape of soot, steel, and survival emerged four young men who would forever change the soundscape of modern music. Black Sabbath wasn’t born in glitz or glamour—they were raw, loud, and unapologetically real. In time, they evolved from a gritty local band into the very architects of heavy metal, giving a voice to the disillusioned and the dreamers alike.

Watching Ozzy Osbourne perform with Black Sabbath one final time stirred a mix of emotions in me. There he was, seated on a throne, pouring everything he had left into every note. It was powerful and heartbreaking. A part of me grieved—not just for the end of an era, but for the passage of time itself. I felt myself growing older alongside the bands I once worshipped, witnessing our shared journey marked in song and memory. And yet, amid that sadness was a profound sense of gratitude for the music, for the memories, and the endurance of spirit.

Father Time spares no one. But if we’re lucky, we leave behind more than just years—we leave an impact. Ozzy Osbourne will mean many things to many people: rock legend, cultural icon, survivor, and yes, even friend.

One person Ozzy deeply touched is Stephen Rea, whose upcoming memoir, Ozzy & Me: Life Lessons, Wild Stories, and Unexpected Epiphanies from Forty Years of Friendship with the Prince of Darkness, offers a heartfelt glimpse into their unlikely and enduring bond. It’s proof that even the so-called Prince of Darkness can be a guiding light in someone’s life.

Stephen Rea is a former newspaper journalist and the acclaimed author of the memoir Finn McCool’s Football Club, which chronicles his experiences with a lively expat soccer community in post-Katrina New Orleans. Rea has built a second life in America, where the rhythms of New Orleans have infused his writing and teaching. Today, he lives in the Crescent City, where he teaches writing, mentors aspiring authors, and continues to explore the power of storytelling to connect cultures, preserve memory, and celebrate the human spirit.

Stephen Rea’s own story begins in Northern Ireland, where he was born in 1969—the same year “The Troubles” erupted in violence. His early life was shadowed by fear; his grandmother barely survived a gun attack meant for someone else, and young Stephen grew up tracing bullet holes in the walls of his childhood home. But even in that darkness, he found salvation through music—especially the haunting, cathartic power of Ozzy’s voice.

As a teen obsessed with heavy metal, Rea scoured the globe for concert bootlegs, traded letters with other fans, and soaked up every magazine he could find. Then, in a twist of fate straight out of a rock fairy tale, his curiosity about a festival in Brazil led his mother to contact Ozzy’s office. Not only did the family travel to Rock in Rio in 1985 but they were granted VIP access—and something even rarer: a friendship.

They say you should never meet your heroes—you’ll only end up disappointed. But Stephen Rea defied that rule most extraordinarily. Rea met his musical idol, Ozzy Osbourne and rather than disillusionment, it sparked a lifelong friendship. What began as a fan meeting a legend blossomed into over 40 years of shared adventures, wild stories, and profound life lessons. For Stephen Rea, meeting his hero wasn’t just a dream come true—it was just the beginning of a friendship.

“I’m about caring, I’m about people, and I’m about entertaining people. I’m a family man. A husband. A father. I’ve been a lot of other things over the years, which we don’t really want to talk about.”-Ozzy

That connection grew into something remarkable. Over decades of backstage passes, private conversations, and unforgettable moments, Ozzy and Stephen formed a bond that transcended fame and fandom. Ozzy even gifted Stephen a pair of leather notebooks in the mid-1990s, urging him to record their shared adventures—an act that would eventually become the basis for this moving memoir.

Ozzy & Me is more than a celebrity tell-all—it’s a testament to how music can save us, shape us, and sustain us. It’s about how heroes, even those draped in darkness, can shine a light in someone’s life. Above all, it reminds us that hope can be found in the most unexpected of places—even in the roar of a guitar or the voice of a man who once bit the head off a bat.

Time marches on, but legends live forever—and sometimes, they even become your friend.