Ozzy Osbourne was a man bigger than life, with a mesmerizing stage presence. But what was he like outside the limelight?

Born John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne in Marston Green, Warwickshire, England in 1948, Ozzy grew up to become one of the biggest rock stars on the planet, but there’s a lot you probably don’t know about him. Such as…

He was a jailbird before he was an adult

Ozzy was no stranger to a jail cell, but it’s something he got used to pretty far back. When Ozzy was 17 years old, he was caught stealing from a clothing store. He was arrested and convicted of the crime, but couldn’t pay the fine that was handed down to him.

He looked to his father for help, but he refused to pay it in the hopes it would teach Ozzy a lesson. This resulted in Ozzy spending roughly two and a half months in Winson Green Prison.

He has three older children from his first marriage

The world knows Sharon Osbourne as Ozzy’s wife, with whom he shares children Aimee, Jack, and Kelly. However, Ozzy was married once before, for a decade, and has three other children.

In 1971, Ozzy married Thelma Riley, a woman who worked at Rum Runner, a Birmingham nightclub. The pair later welcomed two children: Jessica and Louis. Ozzy also adopted Riley’s five-year-old son Elliot from a previous relationship.

The couple divorced in 1982, with Ozzy later referring to his first marriage as “a terrible mistake,” due to his substance abuse issues caused significant problems for the family.

He was a man of faith

It’s no secret that Ozzy invoked a lot of dark imagery as a music artist, from song titles and album covers to stage shows. Turns out… that was all an act.

In the early ’90s, it was reported that Ozzy was a practicing Church of England and prayed before each show.

He Loved Monty Python

Ozzy Osbourne had a fantastic sense of humor. From his cameo in Adam Sandler’s Little Nicky to a brilliant bit he did with Conan O’Brien on Late Night many years ago, The Prince of Fucking Darkness was also a jester.

That love for comedy Ozzy had apparently stemmed from how big a fan he was of Monty Python. In a 2010 interview with Us Weekly, Osbourne dished on his love of the British comedy troupe, revealing: “My favourite movie is Monty Python’s Life of Brian.”

He did his own knuckle tattoos

Ozzy wasn’t covered in tattoos like a lot of people might think, but he had quite a few, and some larger pieces that make it seem like he was more tatted-up than he was.

Easily one of the more notable tattoos was the letters of his nickname, O-Z-Z-Y, across the knuckles of his left hand. Interestingly, the singer actually created this himself. As a teenager, he used a sewing needle and pencil lead to create his artwork.