Ozzy Osbourne was a heavy metal icon. He was also an unlikely reality TV pioneer on "The Osbournes," with his wife Sharon and kids Kelly and Jack.

With the death of Ozzy Osbourne, former MTV boss Van Toffler remembers the success of "The Osbournes," and how it impacted both MTV and reality TV.

It’s a relatable problem: not understanding your dad. Yet there was Ozzy Osbourne on The Osbournes, the dad who was literally unintelligible. TV history is rife with generation-defining families. You can chart the evolution of our society by the ones who were popular during different eras,

As the lead singer of Black Sabbath, he helped invent heavy metal. On “The Osbournes,” he presented a comedic counterpoint to his rock ’n’ roll infamy.

Metal-rock star Ozzy Osbourne holds a replica of his new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as he poses with his family during a ceremony on April 12, 2002, in Los Angeles. Pictured with Osbourne, from left, are Aimee, Sharon, Kelly, Jack and Louis. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

Ozzy Osbourne may have sold millions of albums, bitten the head off a bat, and helped invent heavy metal, but nothing rattled him quite like reality TV. In the wake of his death at 76, fans are revisiting every chapter of Ozzy’s life,

My heartfelt sympathies go out to Sharon, Jack, Kelly, the rest of his family and everybody that's worked hard along the way."

Ozzy Osbourne changed the world of rock music, then had a third act as a pioneer for unscripted television with "The Osbournes"

Transformed by 'The Osbournes' from bird-biting Prince of Darkness into one of TV's quintessential bumbling dads, Osbourne helped usher in a wave of image makeovers with unexpectedly lasting ripples.

The rock star was the Prince of Darkness, the father of heavy metal, but perhaps the strangest Ozzy milestone is starring on one of the first reality TV shows – with the seminal series, “The Osbournes,” which aired on MTV from 2002 to 2005.