Inside Ozzy Osbourne's younger years – from being 'shy' to lesson in prison

The late Ozzy Osbourne has been the subject of tributes this week following the news that he died, aged 76, surrounded by his family yesterday morning. He's best known for having been in the band Black Sabbath and later for his family life.

It was announced last night that Ozzy had died, weeks after a farewell concert that saw him reunite with the other original members of his band. His wife Sharon Osbourne and four of his children shared the news in a statement.

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne dead UPDATES: Paramedics fight to save Black Sabbath star and Sharon's devastation

His death has led to the resurfacing of comments made by Ozzy over the years and articles about his life, such as looking back on his marriage. The singer-songwriter had also previously spoken about his life before rising to fame, and we've now taken a look back at just some of his comments.

Ozzy grew up in Aston area of Birmingham and he once told Esquire that he was raised "right at the poverty line". He told the outlet in 2005: "I always felt sh***y and intimidated by everyone. So my whole thing was to act crazy and make people laugh so they wouldn't jump on me."

The musician, whose first name is John, is said to have picked up the nickname Ozzy whilst at primary school, as reported by BBC News. He's said to have struggled at school, including due to dyslexia, with him once saying that people "didn't understand" the learning difficulty back then.

After dropping out of school at the age of 15, Ozzy went through various jobs before pursuing a career in music. They included being a construction site labourer, "minding" cars at Villa Park, and an apprentice toolmaker.

Just a few years after leaving school, Ozzy worked in a slaughterhouse before turning to crime. He reportedly attempted to take a TV from a shop but left thumbprints on it, which later led to the police confronting him. He's said to have then spent six weeks in prison, with the experience credited with having prompted him to rethink his life.

He told The Big Issue in 2014 that he was "f***ing useless" at burglary and that it was less than three weeks before he got caught. He recalled his late father, John 'Jack' Osbourne, telling him that he had been "very stupid".

Ozzy said that he felt that way himself and described his time in prison as a "sharp lesson," shortly before he met his future bandmates. He said: "I didn't pay my fine and I got put in jail for a few weeks. That was a short, sharp lesson."

He told the outlet that a gift in his late teens, following his release, led to him becoming a world-famous musician. Recalling the "best gift" he had ever received, Ozzy told the outlet that his dad bought him a microphone when he was 18.

He said that shortly after he met his future bandmates, adding: "It was the fact that I had my own microphone and PA system that got me in the band." He suggested that without the equipment he would "never" have "got the gig".

Ozzy has previously shared that The Beatles inspired him as a teenager, with him having been a fan. He told Esquire that his world "went up like a shooting star" when he first heard their single She Loves You, released in 1963. He said that it was a "divine experience" and that the "planets changed".

Black Sabbath first formed in 1968, though under a different name initially, with Ozzy part of the original line-up alongside Tony Iommi, Terence 'Geezer' Butler and Bill Ward. He once said that him and Geezer put an advert up in a music shop in Birmingham that Tony and Bill, who had previously been in the band Mythology together, then responded to.

The band went on to release their self-titled debut album in 1970, which included singles like The Wizard. Their second album, Paranoid, released later that same year, began their chart success, with it topping the charts in the UK. Speaking about his father's reaction to his growing success, Ozzy once recalled that "everybody was looking for a handout".

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