The heavy metal legend's solo projects and Black Sabbath albums have hit the top of Amazon's CD and vinyl rock bestsellers chart

"The Osbournes kicked off a wave of celebrity-driven reality TV," Andy Dehnart, president of the Television Critics Association and editor of the Reality Blurred website, told the BBC. According to The Osbournes executive producer Greg Johnston,

Yes, Black Sabbath ( Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward) fired Osbourne in 1979 over his substance abuse and an overall disinterest in doing anything with the band. They replace Ozzy with Ronnie James Dio, ushering in the "Heaven and Hell" era—and the longstanding rumor that Ozzy held a grudge against Dio. But is that true?

There are pioneering music figures, and then there is Ozzy Osbourne, the larger-than-life frontman of Black Sabbath, whose personal mythology is eclipsed only by the strength and immortality of his songs.