Ozzy Osbourne has always been larger than life—shocking, iconic, and unforgettable. But when it comes to his personal heroes, he’s never been shy about giving credit. And for Ozzy, no artist has had a greater impact than Paul McCartney.
In a rare emotional reflection, Ozzy once described meeting the former Beatle as “like meeting Jesus Christ.” The moment happened backstage at a New York appearance in 2001, where the two crossed paths briefly—but meaningfully. For Ozzy, it wasn’t just another celebrity encounter. It was the fulfillment of a childhood dream that shaped his very purpose.
“I just hugged him,” Ozzy said of the moment. “I couldn’t help it. It was like meeting someone from another planet. I was starstruck.”
Though Ozzy has publicly called The Beatles his favorite band countless times, this moment showed how deeply personal that admiration runs. It was their music, especially their early singles, that gave him hope as a teenager in working-class Birmingham. Long before heavy metal, it was those catchy harmonies that showed him life could be more than the factory floor.
Their musical paths never crossed in the studio—but they came close. Ozzy once invited McCartney to contribute to a track he was working on, telling him, “You could do anything—even just say one word—and I’d put it on the record.” Paul kindly declined, saying he didn’t want to touch the bassline already recorded. Ozzy later joked, “Even if he pissed on the song, I’d still keep it.”
Despite the missed opportunity for collaboration, Ozzy remains in awe of McCartney’s legacy—and grateful just to have met the man who changed his life through music.
For Ozzy Osbourne, who’s spent decades pushing boundaries and defining a genre, that one moment reminded him—and all of us—where his journey began: with a Beatles song on the radio, and a dream that anything was possible.
