Ozzy Osbourne’s Tinnitus: A Vital Warning to Music Lovers

Legendary artist Ozzy Osbourne has earned himself a fair share of media

attention over the years. From biting off a bat’s head in Iowa to getting nicked for pissing across the road from the Alamo, Ozzy’s escapades are as infamous as his performances. The adrenaline he exerted at shows was contagious – many front row fans can attest to the jolting electricity that emanated from his performances, prompting the screams and roars of thousands. Of course, all this invisible noise had a very real effect on Ozzy’s hearing. In fact, all Black Sabbath members suffered the inevitable: ringing in the ears – a consequence of the volume levels endured both in the studio and on the stage.

Ozzy’s concerts are known to exceed 120 decibels and usually last well over two hours. If you have no idea what ‘120 decibels’ means and you haven’t had the fortune to attend one of Ozzy’s concerts, let me break it down for you – it’s as if a Boeing-747 were to take off right next to you - for over two hours.

Without any hearing protection, Ozzy was subject to excessively high volumes throughout all of his career, until one day his body said: ‘Stop!’ Since then, the singer has been very vocal about the damage noise did to his hearing, including permanent tinnitus and partial deafness. Sadly, this did end up having a negative effect on his music career. As Ozzy mentioned in an interview for Sunday Times, “I suffer from permanent tinnitus … which means I’ve got this constant ringing in my ears, which has also made me somewhat deaf (or ‘conveniently deaf,’ as Sharon calls it). It’s like this Whee!! noise in my head all the time.”

Greg Doherty, Getty Images

Nowadays, Mr. Osbourne is focusing much of his energy on family and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. As an active advocate for both healthy living and safe hearing, he’s been doing his part to ensure people are enjoying music responsibly. Not only does he speak out about his own experiences, but he’s also raised funds for the Starkey Hearing Foundation and provided $1,000,000 worth of free hearing tests at NFL charity events.

No-one wants to believe that music could be bad for them, but noise emissions above 85 decibels for long periods of time are unsafe. So, when you add an extra 35 decibels to make up the 120 decibels of your typical Ozzy concert, you’re in dangerous territory. Musicians are frequently exposed to this level of noise, so taking steps towards protecting their hearing should be a priority. Needless to say, the fans should also be taking steps in safeguarding their own hearing.

But what if Ozzy had used a set of Minuendo Lossless earplugs? Well, to put it simply, he would have experienced the same quality of sound and spatial awareness, but without the debilitating strain on his cochlea that ultimately led to diminished hearing and permanent tinnitus.

The ability to use the same hearing protection, whether mastering in the studio, at rehearsals, or performing at concerts is what Minuendo’s unique membrane technology is designed for. Stay a step ahead of Ozzy – wear earplugs.

Fun fact: Ozzy Osbourne holds the world record for the longest scream by a crowd, at 1 minute and 8 seconds, after prompting 52,000 baseball fans to partake in “Scream for a Cure” for cancer charity, ThinkCure!