King Charles should knight Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest's Rob Halford said.
Osbourne was put under consideration for a knighthood by the U.K. government after his supporters signed a petition to get him the recognition. But until now, the Prince of Darkness has yet to get the accolade.
Ozzy Osbourne Deserves the Honor, Rob Halford Said
In his interview with Classic Rock, Judas Priest's Rob Halford commented on Osbourne's knighthood status and pushed for it since the rocker deserves it for his contributions to the music industry.
"If one person deserves a knighthood, it's Ozzy Osbourne. Just for the joy he's given people over the years," he said.
Halford has been open about his love for Osbourne and Black Sabbath. He revealed he would love to listen to the band's self-titled album because he thought it was "the motivator for all great things in heavy metal."
He also told Rolling Stone that Black Sabbath's debut album helped him mold who he is now.
Halford continued, "With 'Black Sabbath', here was the first example of what heavy-metal music should sound like, just the texture, the tone, the structure of all of the material, Ozzy's very unique voice. It's just become a very important record in the discography of Black Sabbath."
Brian May of Queen was one of the latest musicians who were knighted by King Charles III in March 2023 due to his contributions as a musician.
Ozzy Osbourne Has Been Under Consideration for the Award
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport responded to the petition about Osbourne's knighthood in January 2023 and confirmed that the rocker had been under consideration for an honor.
However, it had also been unsuccessful due to "extremely fierce competition for the very limited number of awards available."
"The fact that Mr Osbourne is not recognised by an honour does not mean that his contribution is not appreciated," the department continued. "With some 1,000 awards available in each round, and perhaps six or seven times, unfortunately it is not possible for every candidate, however valuable their service, to succeed."
Osbourne's status was still being considered at that time, but the department reminded the petitioners that it would not be guaranteed.
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