Ozzy Osbourne Could Receive Knighthood
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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.
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.
