As the world mourns the death of Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath’s legendary frontman who passed away at the age of 76, tributes continue to pour in from fans, musicians, and fellow icons. Among the most memorable — and perfectly unhinged — came from actor and Tenacious D frontman Jack Black, who once honored Ozzy in true rock ‘n’ roll fashion.
While Black has yet to publicly react to Ozzy’s passing, fans are revisiting his wildly unforgettable tribute to the Prince of Darkness during Black Sabbath’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. And in classic Jack Black style, it was part comedy, part reverence — and all heart.
“He’s the Jack Nicholson of rock and roll,” Black declared, pacing the stage with manic energy and that signature Tenacious D fire. “The original madman. The godfather of heavy metal. The guy who bit the head off a bat and made it look cool. Ozzy Osbourne is more than a rock star. He’s a cultural force!”
The tribute had the audience in stitches — and in awe. Black, himself a lifelong Sabbath superfan, captured what Ozzy meant not only to music, but to misfits, metalheads, and maniacs everywhere.
“Black Sabbath invented heavy metal. Period. Without them, there is no Metallica, no Nirvana, no Rage Against the Machine — hell, there’s no Tenacious D!”
Though Jack Black’s tribute was given while Ozzy was still alive, it now stands as a timeless celebration of everything Osbourne represented — chaos, creativity, courage, and comedy. A man who didn’t just walk the line between genius and madness — he danced on it in a cloud of smoke and eyeliner.
In interviews since, Black has often said Ozzy inspired him to be bold, weird, and unapologetically himself. “He gave me permission to be loud,” Jack once said. “To be strange. To be me.”
Now, as the world says goodbye to the Prince of Darkness, Jack Black’s words hit harder than ever:
“Ozzy is forever. Long live the king of metal.”
Rest in power, Ozzy.
The laughter, the leather, and the legend live on.
@stereogum @Jack Black sings “Mr. Crowley” (with @Tom Morello’s son Roman on guitar and Scott Ian’s son Revel on bass) for ‘Back To The Beginning,’ Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s final show held in Birmingham July 5, 2025 #OzzyOsbourne #JackBlack #TomMorello #RomanMorello #BlackSabbath #RevelIan #Anthrax #YoyokaSoma #SchoolOfRock #HugoWeiss
