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Ozzy Osbourne, the heavy metal icon who in 1982 shocked San Antonio by urinating on the Alamo’s Cenotaph, died on Tuesday at the age of 76.
His family confirmed his death. They added that the showman known as "The Prince of Darkness" passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.
A notorious act
“He was a beloved rock figure in San Antonio,” said Sanford Nowlin, editor in chief of the San Antonio Current. San Antonians were drawn to Osbourne for his high energy heavy metal vocal performance and also because of an incident that happened on Feb. 19, 1982.
Osbourne was in San Antonio on his "Diary of a Madman" tour, and the then 33-year-old intoxicated singer stumbled into Alamo Plaza and urinated on the base of the 60-foot memorial.
Incidentally, he was wearing a green dress borrowed from his then-fiancée and manager, Sharon Arden (later Sharon Osbourne.) He was then arrested for public intoxication and released on bond, posted by his promoter, to free him up to perform that night at HemisFair Arena.
“I’m sure he didn’t know what he was doing,” Nowlin said. But the incident immortalized Osbourne with San Antonio fans, and the story gained nationwide coverage.
The city’s leaders were outraged. The San Antonio City Council imposed a ban on Osbourne performing in city-owned venues, with one councilmember even calling for a “public flogging” over the affront to what many consider sacred Texas history.
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Reinstatement and redemption
In October 1992, Osbourne returned to the city, performing at the Freeman Coliseum during his "No More Tours" farewell tour. He made amends by donating $10,000 to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and delivering a public apology.
His reconciliation culminated in a 2015 History Channel visit to Alamo Plaza alongside his son Jack, where he expressed regret and reflected on past mistakes.
“What I did was wrong,” he told reporters at the time. “It was disrespectful, and I’ve been trying to make it right ever since.”
Nowlin said when Osbourne came back to San Antonio, the fans turned out to welcome him. “It was a two-night sold out affair,” he said.
In a statement on Tuesday, officials with the Alamo said that "we acknowledge Ozzy Osbourne's journey from regret to reconciliation at the historic site, and we extend our condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world. May he rest in peace."
A legend’s final curtain
In early July 2025, Ozzy performed his final concert — part of the “Back to the Beginning” benefit show with the original lineup of Black Sabbath at Villa Park in Birmingham.
He performed seated on a throne due to Parkinson’s disease, and he delivered a farewell that spanned over eight hours of music before 45,000 spectators.
Legacy in San Antonio and beyond
More than four decades after Osbourne's Alamo Plaza incident, it remains one of the city’s more infamous cultural flashpoints.
It was a clash of heavy metal and revered Texas history.
While the Alamo incident became a notorious footnote in Osbourne’s storied career, it also exemplified his rebellious spirit and public recklessness.
These were traits that his fans celebrated—and likely how he will be remembered.
