Ozzy Osbourne Is Related to English and Russian Royalty
Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most famous rock stars to ever live. He wowed crowds for years as an entertainer and is still beloved to this day. You might even refer to him – and by extension, his family – as rock and roll royalty. Of course, few realize that Osbourne himself is actually a distant relative of royalty. But who exactly is he related to? Let’s take a closer look at how the Osbourne family lineage links back to a few significant figures from history.
Ozzy Osbourne had a great career as a rock and roll showman
Osbourne began his career as the lead singer of the revolutionary heavy metal band, Black Sabbath. Performing with them throughout the ’70s, the group did a lot to change their genre. Their music was groundbreaking, and anything could happen at their live shows. For a time, many people actually believed the band worshipped Satan. They pushed the envelope to create an edgy onstage persona that Osbourne more than lived up to every chance he got.
Osbourne eventually branched out on his own as a solo act, and his popularity only grew. He became not just the face of heavy metal but one of the most iconic rock stars in music history. Osbourne’s influence can be seen in many bands still active today. His distinctive voice and skills as a frontman were unmatched. As legendary as his performing career was, Osbourne gained even more popularity thanks to a certain reality show starring him and his family, filmed many years after his prime as an artist.
Ozzy Osbourne’s second act
In the early 2000s, Osbourne and his wife Sharon, daughter Kelly, and son Jack filmed a reality TV show for MTV called The Osbournes. When reality TV was in its infancy, this one moved to the head of the class as one of the best. Capitalizing on the juxtaposition of a hardcore rocker posing as a doting father, The Osbournes showed that despite his life as a partier, Osbourne was above all else a good father. It would be this show that would also give rise to Sharon’s fame as well. She’d parlay this into a spot as one of the hosts of The Talk. The Osbournes were a lovable family, but at times they could act obnoxiously. Often they acted as if they were royalty. The truth is that in a way, they were.
The Osbournes are related to Russian and English royalty
According to Insider, Osbourne is a descendant of both Russian Tsar Nicholas II and English King George I. As reported by his biography on Britannica, Tsar Nicholas was the last of the Russian emperors. He presided over Russia during some extremely turbulent times. When workers revolted in St. Petersburg leading to a great uprising, his fate was sealed. Following the October Revolution, Nicholas was removed from power. The Romanov family was exiled to Siberia, and though Nicholas willingly abdicated, both he and his entire family were executed to prevent a rebellion.
Britannica reports King George I ruled Britain from 1714-1727. Prior to his rule, he fought valiantly in the War of Spanish Succession from 1701-1714. Being from Hanover, Germany, George actually could not speak English and spoke with his aides strictly in French. He was a largely unpopular head of state. Rumors that he mistreated his wife ran rampant throughout the country. It didn’t help that his court included two of his German mistresses. During his reign, George greatly devalued his cabinet, shunning large cabinet meetings in favor or private meetings with his advisors.
While Nicholas and George don’t seem to have much in common, they did share one trait: neither seemed anything remotely like their distant relative Osbourne.