John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer-songwriter, whose career has now spanned four decades. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead vocalist of pioneering British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and eventually achieved a multi-platinum solo career which revolutionised the heavy metal genre. As a result he is known as the "Godfather of Heavy Metal", and, because of some of his material, the "Prince of Darkness".