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Ozzy Osbourne Could Receive Knighthood

Like being the Prince of Darkness isn’t enough?  Helen Maidiotis is an Ozzy fan who has been a topic on  Metal Hammer.  She started an online petition through Change.org to…

Ozzy Osbourne Monopoly

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Like being the Prince of Darkness isn't enough?  Helen Maidiotis is an Ozzy fan who has been a topic on  Metal Hammer.  She started an online petition through Change.org to get Ozzy to knight status. As a result, Ozzy Osbourne could receive knighthood.  The petition currently has nearly 35,000 signatures.

Helen has been working on this for EIGHT YEARS over THREE different petitions. Here's an excerpt from her petition:

"So I ask you today, along with the thousands of other people who have been supporting my campaign throughout the last 8 years and have signed the previous two petitions... Please consider Mr. Osbourne and grant him the honour of a knighthood for his services to music and charity over the last 5 decades."

As part of her campaign efforts, Helen sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the UK.  She recently received a response stating:  “As you are aware Mr. Osbourne has been under consideration for an honour for a while.” Helen is taking this as a positive sign.

Helen is an AMAZING fan and a testament to the impact that Ozzy has had on legions of fans over the decades... HOWEVER, out of all the musical artists that I know that have received an honorary knighthood, not one has bitten the head off of a bat, pi$$ed on the Alamo, or had a reality TV show.  I don't see this happening, but you never know!

13 Iconic Musicians Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II recognized many individuals with honors of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. During her legendary reign as Queen, she knighted a number of popular musicians.

Here is a brief explainer on the various levels of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Per the U.K.'s official Honours System website, the following are the five title distinctions in order of importance the British Monarchy can bestow upon individuals for their non-combative contributions to the U.K.:

-Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): "Achievement or service in and to the community which is outstanding in its field and has delivered sustained and real impact which stands out as an example to others."

-Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE): "Distinguished regional or county-wide role in any field, through achievement or service to the community including notable practitioners known nationally."

-Commander of the British Empire (CBE): "A prominent national role of a lesser degree, a conspicuous leading role in regional affairs through achievement or service to the community, or a highly distinguished, innovative contribution in his or her area of activity."

-Damehood/Knighthood (DBE/KBE): "A pre-eminent contribution in any field of activity (usually, but not exclusively, at national level), or in a capacity which will be recognized by peer groups as inspirational and significant nationally and demonstrates sustained commitment."

-Dame/Knight Grand Cross (GBE): "Grand Cross is the highest class in many of the Orders."

Typically, the head monarch will unveil these honors as part of every New Year. Additionally, their birthday also serves as a time to unveil new additions to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. People can be nominated via a special form.

With those definitions and information in mind, here are 13 iconic musicians knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Rod Stewart

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Sir Rod was knighted in 2016. He had previously received Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) honors in 2007.


Barry Gibb

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Sir Barry was knighted in 2018 for his services to the music and charity. While Gibb spent most of his formative years in Australia, he was born in the U.K. on the Isle of Man and has held dual U.K.-U.S. citizenship since 2009.


Bob Geldof

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Geldof received an Honorary Knighthood in 1986 for his charitable contributions stemming from Band Aid and Live Aid. Since Geldof is not a British citizen, he cannot be called “Sir.”


George Martin

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Sir George was knighted in 1996 for his services to music.


Paul McCartney

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Sir Paul was knighted in 1997. In 1965, he and the rest of the Beatles received Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) honors.


Elton John

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Sir Elton was knighted in 1998. He would later be named a member of the Order of Companions of Honour, the highest honor that can be bestowed by the British Royal Family, in November 2021. Per the British Royal Family's website, "The Companion of Honour is a special award granted to those who have made a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time. The members, of which there are 65 at any one time, currently include actress Dame Maggie Smith, Lord Coe, Stephen Hawking, John Major and Desmond Tutu."


Ravi Shankar

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Shankar received an Honorary Knighthood in 2001 for his contributions to music. He cannot be called “Sir” due to not being a British citizen.


Mick Jagger

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Sir Mick was knighted in 2002 for his services to music.


Tom Jones

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Sir Tom was knighted in 2006. He was previously honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1999.


Bono

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Born Paul Hewson, Bono received an Honorary Knighthood in 2007 for his contributions to music and for his years of humanitarian work. Since he is not a British citizen, Bono cannot be called “Sir.”


Van Morrison

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Morrison was knighted in 2016 for his contributions to music. While Irish, Morrison is from Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K. Thus, he may be called “Sir.”


Ray Davies

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Sir Ray was knighted in 2017 for his services to the arts.


Ringo Starr

GettyImages-934976052.jpgJohn Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Sir Ringo was knighted in 2018. In 1965, he and the rest of the Beatles received Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) honors.

Donielle Flynn has two kids, two cats, two dogs, and a love of all things rock. She’s been in radio decades and held down top-rated day parts at Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington DC radio stations throughout her tenure. She enjoys writing about rock news, the Detroit community, and she has a series called “The Story Behind” where she researches the history of classic rock songs.