Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.

The 75-year-old Prince of Darkness from Birmingham received a standing ovation from an all-star band and the 20,000-capacity crowd in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday.

“I want to thank whoever voted me into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for my solo work. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he shouted over deafening cheers after actor Jack Black presented him with the award.

The various group of participants this year also included: Mary J Blige, Cher, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest and the Dave Matthews Band.

“My fans have been so loyal to me over the years. I can’t thank them enough,” said Osbourne, who was inducted at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse arena.

“I’ve (also) been fortunate to play with some of the greatest guitarists, drummers and bassists in the world, and some of them are here tonight.

“But I have to say one thing for a man named Randy Rhoads. If I hadn’t met Randy Rhoads, I don’t think I’d be sitting here right now.”

An acclaimed guitarist, Rhoads helped transform Osbourne’s solo career after he was kicked out of Birmingham heavy metal band Black Sabbath in 1979. He died in 1982, only 25 years old.

Osbourne saved his biggest thanks for his family. His wife Sharon, daughter Kelly and her son Sidney were in the audience.

‘More than that, my wife Sharon saved my life. And my grandchildren and my babies. I love them all.’

During his introduction, Black described the first time he heard the rocker’s hit solo album “Blizzard of Oz” (1980), saying, “The heavens had opened.”

“I didn’t know I was entering a whole new world of heavy metal.”

And he added, “You know a lot has been made about his evil alliance with the dark lord, Satan, but in reality, Ozzy is a loving father, husband and friend.”

Osbourne, who grew up in a large family in Aston, was previously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of Black Sabbath, which he founded in 1968. Since then he has sold 100 million records, both as a solo artist and with the gang.

Due to ill health it was not certain whether he would perform on Saturday; he has Parkinson’s disease.

One of the last times he was seen on stage was at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

During the event, he watched onstage from a large leather bat-shaped throne as an all-star band performed his regular playlist. Country superstar Jelly Roll gave an excellent rendition of Osbourne’s Mama, I’m Coming Home. Maynard James Keen sang Crazy Train, accompanied by Wolfgang Van Halen, and Billy Idol sang No More Tears.

The musicians included his longtime guitarist and co-writer Zakk Wylde, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Osbourne bandmate Adam Wakeman on keyboards.

Osbourne, who feels a strong connection to his roots in the West Midlands, retired from touring last year, although he later said he wanted to perform two final shows in Birmingham to say goodbye to his fans.

“Birmingham until I die,” he exclaimed two years ago during his performance with Black Sabbath at the Commonwealth Games.

He is still considered a legend in the city, despite leaving years ago to pursue his career.

He has been awarded several city awards. He was the first artist to be honored on Birmingham’s own Hollywood-style Walk of Fame on Broad Street in 2007.

The huge mechanical bull on display at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony was also named ‘Ozzy’ after a public vote. It can now be seen at Birmingham New Street railway station.

There is also a bench in the band’s honor on the renamed Black Sabbath Bridge over the canal on Broad Street.

Osbourne credits the Beatles with introducing him to music when he was a teenager growing up in a large family in Aston.

Paul McCartney was among a string of artists who lined up to pay tribute to him in a retrospective of his career, in a video played during his induction.

Artists are eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first recording.

In the 2011 documentary God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, he said that the band made him realize that “(he) was going to be a rock star for the rest of (his) life”.

Osbourne’s remarkable legacy was played out to some of the world’s top musicians during Saturday’s five-hour show – 55 years after he started in the business.