Ozzy Settles Suit

The British tabloid, Daily Star, printed a story alleging that rocker, Ozzy Osbourne, had serious health scares which jeopardized the Brit Awards.

The event was hosted by the Osbourne family and drew more than 6 million viewers, but the Daily Star ran a story entitled Ozzy's Freak Show, in which it claimed the foul-mouthed patriarch collapsed twice backstage during the ceremony, rode around in an "electric buggy," and had a place to sit between presentations. The article implied his health had jeopardized the entire show.

Ozzy insisted the story caused "considerable embarrassment and distress," and the case was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount that will be donated to Sharon Osbourne's colon cancer charity.

In America, libel suits generally come down to whether or not the alleged victim suffered financial setbacks, but I am not familiar with British law. Of course, such allegations would certainly cause promoters and organizers to double-think booking the aging metal star, so this could have been a factor in the decision.

The Daily Star reporter accepted that the allegations were untrue and the report should not have been run.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008