(The Hill) â English rockstar Ozzy Osbourne, who died Tuesday, was beloved by fans in the U.S., but the former Black Sabbath frontman had a hot-and-cold relationship with American politics.

Here are some memorable moments from the time that Osbourne, who died at age 76, spent dabbling in the U.S. political scene:
WHCA, WHCA, WHCA:
Osbourne was a featured guest at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA)âs annual fĂȘte at the heigh of his publicity resurgence in 2002 and, by many accounts, âstole the show.â
Then-President George W. Bush opened his speech welcoming, âWashington power brokers, celebrities, Hollywood stars, Ozzy Osbourne,â while pronouncing his surname as âOs-burn.â
Osbourne then stood on the table and raised his hands in the air in front of the cheering crowd.
âOzzy, mom loves your stuff,â the then-president quipped, referring to former first lady Barbara Bush.
According to reports at the time, Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, made their way to the presidentâs table during the event.
âOzzy told [Bush] he should grow his hair long,â Sharon Osbourne told the New York Daily News.
The well-coiffed president reportedly replied, âmaybe in the second term.â
Members of Congress, politicos mourn:
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) was among the first lawmakers to post about Osbourneâs death on Tuesday.
âOzzy was a true pioneer of heavy metal and an enduring symbol of the rebellious, freedom-loving spirit that resonates across our nation and throughout the world,â she wrote. âHe will be missed.â
The Libertarian Party of New York also posted a tribute, along with a video of Osbourne singing Black Sabbathâs 1970 anti-war protest song âWar Pigs.â
âDonât forget to call out the war pigs all around us,â the group wrote.
Anti-war efforts
Osbourne was a well-known anti-war activist. When the GOP used his song âCrazy Trainâ at a campaign event without permission in 2004, he spoke out against the U.S. military campaign in Iraq.
A few lines from Black Sabbathâs 1970 song âWar Pigsâ:
âPoliticians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poorâŠâ
In an episode of âThe Osbournesâ podcast last year, he warned that the U.S. should be ready for another war.
âIf thereâs a war again, which it looks like [it] very possibly could, Chinaâs already for it,â he said. âTheyâve got mandatory [military service].â
âYou got a choice: You gotta go to jail or military,â he added.
Going off the railsâŠ
Many musicians have taken issue with President Trumpâs use of their tunes during his campaigns, and Osbourne is no exception.
When Trump used the song âCrazy Trainâ to blast Democrats in a 2019 video on social media, the Osbournes asked him to stop.
âBased on this morningâs unauthorized use of Ozzy Osbourneâs âCrazy Train,â we are sending notice to the Trump campaign (or any other campaigns) that they are forbidden from using any of Ozzy Osbourneâs music in political ads or in any political campaigns,â Osbourneâs team said in a statement at the time. âOzzyâs music cannot be used for any means without approvals.â
âIn the meantime, we have a suggestion for Mr. Trump: perhaps he should reach out to some of his musician friends. Maybe Kanye West (âGold Diggerâ), Kid Rock (âI Am the Bullgodâ) or Ted Nugent (âStrangleholdâ) will allow use of their music,â the statement added.
Across the pond
Osbourne was a critic of the so-called âBrexitâ movement in his home country. He called the effort a âfâ jokeâ in an interview with the music magazine âThe Big Issueâ in 2018.
âI donât understand Brexit â I donât think anybody does,â he told the outlet. âYou watch TV, and itâs all this shouting and screaming about Brexit, but nobodyâs got a fâng clue what it really means.â
âBrexitâ was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union alliance in 2020, following a far-right push thatâs been celebrated by some in the U.S.