Jack Osbourne Defends Plans to Create AI Ozzy Osbourne Avatar

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Jack Osbourne Welcomes Baby No. 5, Named After Dad Ozzy Osbourne

No, Jack Osbourne has not lost his mind. 

And according to the 40-year-old, both he and mom Sharon Osbourne also had plenty of thoughts in their heads before and after they announced that an artificial intelligence Avatar version of the late Ozzy Osbourne was in the works. 

“Here's the thing,” Jack said during a May 22 YouTube livestream in response to a fan bringing up the backlash the news generated. “It's going to be so tasteful what we're doing. It's not going to be f--king lame. It's really complex what we're doing—this isn't just like hooking up an image of my dad to ChatGPT. It is. This is some high-level technology that we're going to be working with.”

The news of the upcoming, digital Prince of Darkness arrived just one week earlier when Jack—the youngest of Ozzy’s six kids—and his mother made the announcement at Licensing Expo 2026 in Las Vegas.

Beginning late this summer, Black Sabbath fans will be able to interact with an AI version of Ozzy which bears his “digital DNA,” as well as his voice, likeness and movement with the help of Hyperreal and Proto Hologram.

As Sharon explained at the May 20 event, per Rolling Stone, “You can ask Ozzy anything, and he will answer you in his own voice—and the answers will be what Ozzy would have said. People can talk to him and he will talk back.”

And, according to his family, the digitized Ozzy is eerily similar to the original.

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“It’s kind of scary how it’s really very accurate,” Jack said alongside his mother. “He will exist digitally as himself for as long as we have computers.”

As for how AI Ozzy came about, Hyperreal CEO Remington Scott explained its patented technology will allow the avatar to interact in real time with fans. 

“This isn’t pre-rendered content playing on a loop,” he told Rolling Stone. “It’s a living performance, built exclusively from authenticated source material: curated, consented, and controlled by the people closest to Ozzy.”

Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage

But after some fans expressed concern as to whether or not the late Ozzy would approve of the technological endeavor, Jack sought to put them at ease.

“It’s something that I think my dad would be into,” he added during the YouTube livestream, “because we actually talked about it be before he passed about doing something like this. So, yeah, I know he would be into this.”

As he put it, “It’s awesome.”

For a look back at Ozzy’s decades in the spotlight before his death in July 2025, read on. 

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1969

Before being known as Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Tommy Iommi performed under the name Earth

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1970

The heavy metal band members were ready to rock as they posed for this shot.

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1972

Ozzy, born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England, in 1948, struggled with school early on. It was his passion for music that ultimately helped him move forward.

“I left school with a little more education than when I first started going,” he told The Associated Press in 2010. “Because of my dyslexia, I couldn’t learn. So, I was teased a lot by one of my sister about not bing able to read. It’s very shameful.”

“If it wasn’t for The Beatles turning me onto music in a big way, I don’t know what I would have done,” he continued. “Music has been the main thing that got me out of the area, the place I was born.”

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1973

In 1968, he and his friends formed Black Sabbath, inspired by the film of the same name, with their self-titled debut album earning major commercial success. In 1971, he married his first wife Thelma Riley, with whom he shared kids Jessica Osbourne, Louis Osbourne and Elliot Kingsley.

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1974

The “Paranoid” singer, donning shiny pants embellished with a snake, embraced the crowd during the band’s set at the California Jam music festival.

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1975

Black Sabbath walked the streets of London in style.

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1976

The band performed at the iconic Hammersmith Odeon—now named the Eventim Apollo—in London.

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1977

Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill were all smiles as they showed off their silver recording certification for Technical Ecstasy

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1980

Ozzy was happy to sink his teeth into a macabre photo shoot. He was fired from Black Sabbath the year before due to his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse.

"Money would be the alcohol and the drugs and I behaved badly,” he said in his documentary Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne of that time. "That was one of the lowest points of my life.”

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1982

Ozzy—as a solo artist—took the stage at Madison Square Garden for his Diary of a Madman tour, just two days after he infamously bit into a dead bat that was thrown onto the stage, which he believed was fake.

"I just thought it was a rubber bat," Ozzy said in the documentary, "and I just put it in my mouth and crunched down. I just f--king bit into it, you know, being the f--king clown that I am [and was like], 'Oh no! It's real.'"

Later that year, he married his manager, Sharon Arden.

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1983

The “Iron Man” singer, donning his iconic dark eyeliner, posed with a cigarette before a performance in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Ozzy and Sharon welcomed their first child together, Aimee Osbourne.

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1984

Ozzy and Motlëy Crüe’s Vince Neil posed after performing for their Bark at the Moon tour. Ozzy and Sharon welcomed their daughter Kelly Osbourne.

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1985

Ozzy and Sharon, who tied the knot in 1982, were in paradise as they vacationed in Brazil. They also welcomed their son, Jack Osbourne.

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1986

Posing for pics before a performance in Chicago on July 13, 1986.

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1987

Ozzy at home with Sharon and their kids Kelly, Jack and Aimee.

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1988

The British star showcased his '80s rockstar hair for this portrait in his garden in May 1988.

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1989

In August 1989, Ozzy's band performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in Russia.

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1991

The singer proved he was a style icon as he posed in round-rimmed sunglasses and a black and red theatrical military-inspired ensemble.

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1992

Black Sabbath made its mark as the band members left their handprints at the Rock Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

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1995

Ozzy sang his heart out at Terminal 1 in Munich, Germany. 

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1997

A portrait of the Osbourne family at their luxury home in Beverly Hills.

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1998

Black Sabbath proved their bond was forever as they celebrated 30 years as a band. Ozzy had rejoined one year earlier.

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1999

In 1999, the rocker attended the unveiling of the Ozzy Osbourne Action Figure at McFarlane Toy Showroom in New York City.

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2000

The Grammy-winner rocked his signature black leather style at the 2000 Grammy Awards.

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2003

Ozzy and Sharon’s lives were on full display for the past year as they starred in their reality TV show The Osbournes from 2002 until 2005.

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2006

Kelly proved she was daddy’s little girl as she attended Black Sabbath’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

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2012

Ozzy performed at the Gods of Metal Festival in Milan, Italy.

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2015

Ozzy and Sharon attended the premiere of Amy at ArcLight Cinemas in Los Angeles.

One year later, Ozzy and Sharon had taken a break after the latter had cheated on his wife. The couple ultimately reconciled, with Ozzy sharing on Good Morning America that they were “back on track again.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had emphasized that Sharon was, in fact, the One.

"She's the only one I've ever loved in my life," he said of his wife during his documentary. "I mean, she's my soulmate."

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2018

The rock legend was glowing as he announced his No More Tours II: Final World Tour during a press conference. 

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2019

Ozzy looked back at his star-studded life, realizing that he had done a lot during his 50-year career.

"I never thought I'd make it this far," he told Rolling Stone in 2018 while reflecting on his career. "I don't understand why I'm alive still after the hell-raising days. I guess whoever the man is upstairs, if there even is one, wants me to stick around."

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