Ozzy Osbourne passes away at age 76
(MENAFN) Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic British singer who fronted Black Sabbath and became a towering figure in heavy metal, has passed away at the age of 76, his family announced on Tuesday.
While the exact cause of death was not revealed, Osbourne had been dealing with a number of health issues for several years, including a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and complications from a 2019 accident.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the news that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne died this morning, surrounded by his loved ones,” the family’s statement said.
His passing follows shortly after his retirement from live performances. On July 5, Osbourne reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for one final performance at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK. The farewell concert, titled “Back to the Beginning,” featured several major figures from the metal genre. Addressing the crowd, Osbourne said, “I’ve been out of action for six years—you can’t imagine how much this means to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Born John Michael Osbourne in 1948 in Birmingham, England, Ozzy had a difficult early life and left school at 15, taking on various jobs, including working in a slaughterhouse, before finding his musical path. As the voice of Black Sabbath, he helped define heavy metal with hits like “Iron Man,” “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” “Crazy Train,” and “Changes.”
Known as the “Prince of Darkness,” Osbourne launched a successful solo career after leaving Black Sabbath. His 1980 debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, achieved five-times platinum status in the U.S. He would go on to release a total of 13 solo studio albums, with Patient Number 9 in 2022 being the last.
Osbourne’s influence earned him spots in both the UK Music Hall of Fame and the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—both as a solo artist and with Black Sabbath. He received five Grammy Awards and earned stars on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham’s Broad Street. In later years, he also became a household name through his family’s reality TV series.
He is survived by his wife, Sharon, their three children, two children from a previous marriage, and several grandchildren.
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