Ozzy Osbourne - we shouldn't speak ill of the dead but has his domestic abuse and serial infidelity been glossed over in all the eulogies?

[mids2019]

Maybe because he was a rocker firm the 70s but it seems Ozzy's real character flaws have been warped into a 'charismatic hell raiser ' image to be admired.

In reality should we also be critical about his actions and views?

Not just this.
Many years ago I was watching 'At home with the Osborne's on channel 4. I remember it clearly. The son broke the tiny Dogs neck whilst sitting on the sofa. He did it very quickly and almost as a joke. The camera abruptly panned elsewhere. Later they tried to brush it over, ie it was a joke blah blah blah. It didn't really happen blah blah blah.. It wasnt a joke. I saw it happen.
It was before SM was a thing.
I've never forgotten it and the asshole that did it.
He got away with it.

Their eldest daughter moved out at 16 as she didn’t want to be part of the reality show. Imagine picking the show over your own child?
The animal abuse was awful, I could never understand why rescues were happy to rehome to them, their lifestyle was just too chaotic.
Not forgetting that their parenting skills were severely lacking as seen in their tv show.

The bat biting thing was an accident. He assumed it was a fake rubber one.

He appears to have been a shit dad to the first three.

Inside the Night Ozzy Osbourne Tried to Kill Wife Sharon https://share.google/JU1Ouswy9Yy10H3fW

This is pretty detailed for the 1989 incident.

This is one thing I really don't get, though: who on earth would actually want to bite into a huge lump of rubber?

If he'd thought it was made of chocolate or iced cake or something; but rubber?!

Also, wouldn't there be a big clue in that, unlike a rubber toy, a live bat would presumably visibly wriggle and flap, especially when grabbed firmly in the hand of somebody lifting it to his mouth?

I don’t know where the adoration came from, tbh. The reality show, maybe. He wasn’t all that to my generation, and we are over 60. We were more punk, new wave, alt Rick/indie than hairy rocker back then.

I didn't know that about the cats, poor things

It’s the usual croc of shit rolled out when someone, particularly famous died. I hate the whole your shouldn’t say anything bad about the dead but the guy was fucking awful, and his music meh.. I’m not upset at all. I am far more upset about Malcolm Jamal-Warner, loved watching the Cosby Show growing up, I’ve seen him in other things and watched interviews with him. Now his young death is a shame.

Maybe it's insensitive to bring up these things when someone dies or maybe not? If we don't talk about the behaviour don't we allow a scot free whitewashing of character and is that fair to all those who have been hit during a relationship or cheated on? Dressing up a lot of the above shit behaviour as anecdotes from the wild man of rock is surely something from a different time.

I am sorry someone died but the past is still the past.

Didn’t know about the animal cruelty tbh. Really reversed my opinion of him now. I do know that all the pictures of him with Sharon and the children in the media yesterday depicted very unhappy children. And there was one with him carrying one of his children, when they looked a newborn, by his mouth (holding clothing by his teeth, with the baby just ‘hanging’.).

You are right. We shouldn’t speak I’ll of the dead and you don’t even know him.

Wow just let it rest. You had decades to start a post about this on Mumsnet.

It astounds me that the media go after some people relentlessly until they are on the brink or worse (Caroline Flack springs to mind, even Philip Schofield who commited no actual crime although he was obviously in the wrong). But someone who has been in prison, tortured animals, a terrible Dad, strangled their wife to the point they nearly died etc is put up on a pedestal with a super shiny gold halo.

It's a strange old world.

So we shouldn’t, but you are …
speaking ill of the dead. Maybe a little bit too soon don’t you think!

@DBSFstupid - yeah, that didn’t happen. It was a poorly judged and deeply unfunny ‘joke’. The dog was fine.

We're talking about a man who spent years in a hole of addiction and clearly he did some fucked up things in that time. Not an excuse, but a reality.

Ultimately his wife forgave him, which I suppose she could be judged for by some, but I'm not sure that's fair at this time.

His final fanfair of raising 140 million pounds for charity via the Black Sabbath gig at Villa Park a few weeks back should be the thing we're talking about now.

Not bats or estranged kids or affairs.

How about we just let his loved ones bury him first, yeah?

I think a key difference is that Ozzy admitted and took responsibility for his poor choices. He understood that sex drugs and rock and roll made him behave like a dick.

I’ve never really felt that “don’t speak ill of the dead” had any basis in logic.

His final fanfair of raising 140 million pounds for charity via the Black Sabbath gig at Villa Park a few weeks back should be the thing we're talking about now.
Not bats or estranged kids or affairs

Why?

You can talk about both things

Agree he’s been made out like some kind of lovable grandpa of rock when he must have been a very scary man. And the female equivalent of him totally doesn’t exist which says a lot

Talking about abuse and it’s lasting impact is always worthwhile if it saves even on woman from suffering.

His domestic violence was extensive I believe (including a strangling incident?) and shouldn’t be glossed over.

Should we not talk about the evil that Jimmy Salville did because he is dead. Obviously, would have been better if something was done about him when he was alive. Why can some celebrities be adored even after doing horrible things whether to other humans or animals?

Well she made her choice i am aware on here women are not responsible or as intelligent as men because they always need a man to think for them, sure in real life i dont thinkvthis but qe see examples on here daily whwrrw women are never responsible for their actions or choices

So i can only think thunk women are not as smart?

She did not have to stay with him