Kelly Osbourne has fired back at Dee Snider after taking offense to comments made by the Twisted Sister frontman while he was fielding questions and comments from fans on X.
While Snider was discussing a variety of topics, the conversation turned to Ozzy Osbourne and his working relationships with other musicians on multiple occasions. At one point, a fan brought up Lemmy Kilmister’s contributions to Ozzy’s No More Tears album as detailed in Ozzy’s Last Rites book.
Snider responded:
“I know too much about the truth behind the scenes. Let’s just say that Sharon doesn’t like to share.”
A few hours later, another fan brought up bassist Bob Daisley writing “a load” for Ozzy and his eventual firing. Snider pushed back on that characterization, writing:
“A load?’ How about ALL the lyrics? Ozzy always had bass players write his lyrics. @geezerbutler wrote ALL of @BlackSabbath lyrics. Daisley wrote lyrics for the first two solo albums (I’m pretty sure he was paid to write on other records but not credited) & Lemmy wrote lyrics.”
The following day, another fan shared their appreciation for Ozzy’s ability to connect a song he didn’t write with an audience. Snider replied:
“Many singers don’t write their own songs but make them their own.”
While Snider’s claims are rooted in some of the longstanding songwriting-credit disputes surrounding Ozzy’s catalog, the assertion that Ozzy did not write lyrics himself is not completely accurate. Although Ozzy was best known for his ability to develop vocal melodies, he did receive songwriting credits throughout his career, including on Black Sabbath’s “Fairies Wear Boots.”
Kelly Osbourne subsequently responded with two Instagram Story posts, calling Snider out for attempting to “diminish” her father’s legacy while seemingly bringing more attention to himself.
The first post did not name Snider, but appeared to be directed at those questioning Ozzy’s legacy. She wrote:
“My father’s legacy as a musician, songwriter, singer and bandleader speaks for itself. His friends, those who worked with him, those who loved him and millions of fans around the world that still continue to buy his records know exactly what he meant, what he contributed and what he leaves behind. His legacy will live on eternally.”
Kelly’s second post directly addressed Snider, while also comparing their respective careers and questioning his legacy in relation to her father’s.
“@deesnider your last hit … not to age myself was the year I was born over 40 years ago.
There’s something spectacularly classless about Dee Snider trying to diminish my father Ozzy Osbourne and his extraordinary abilities and achievements when he’s no longer here to challenge his allegations, particularly when Snider cannot claim to know the private reality of my father’s life simply by looking in from the outside or from hearsay from a delusional man with a vendetta against my father, when to the best of my knowledge they were maybe in the same room once if even at all.
And if Snider wants to invite comparisons between their careers, that comparison is devastating enough on its own.
Snider had a brief period of mainstream success 40 years ago. My father’s career spanned nearly six decades – from helping define heavy metal with Black Sabbath to building an extraordinary solo career. His music will continue to influence generations long after all of us are gone.
It’s difficult not to wonder whether Snider’s attempt to belittle my father is simply a way of getting people talking about him again. Because musically, the music industry moved on from Snider’s commercial peak decades ago, while my father’s name, catalogue and influence still remains globally relevant.
My father doesn’t need Dee Snider’s approval to establish his place in music history.
And trying to make my father smaller won’t make Dee Snider bigger. It only reminds everyone of the enormous difference between their legacies and further proves just how irrelevant Snider is to the music industry and society as a whole. However, I would like to thank Dee Snider for allowing the world to see how truly desperate he really is!”
As outlets began picking up on Kelly’s response, Snider offered a follow-up of his own, stressing that his comments were not intended to diminish Ozzy and explaining that his perspective was influenced by his own experiences as a songwriter.
“And again. To be clear, I HAVE NOTHING BUT LOVE FOR OZZY. He was always lovely to me. @BlackSabbath changed my life! As a songwriter I can be a little touchy about credit and royalties.”
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