Ozzy Osbourne has died

Ozzy Osbourne, the singer-songwriter who helped transform heavy metal music as both the first frontman of Black Sabbath and later as a solo artist, has died at age 76. His passing comes just three weeks after Osbourne performed for the final time at his farewell concert, Back to the Beginning, which saw the original Sabbath lineup reuniting.

A statement with The Guardian shared by Osbourne’s family reads: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

Born John Michael Osbourne in Aston, Birmingham, Ozzy formed Black Sabbath in 1969 with Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward. The band released several classic albums over the years including their self-titled debut, Paranoid (both in 1970), and Master of Reality (1971). The band’s substance abuse issues grew with their popularity, and in 1979 Osbourne was removed from the band.

Post Sabbath, Osbourne enjoyed significant commercial success as a solo artist. His 1980 solo debut Blizzard of Ozz was one of several efforts to achieve a multi-platinum certification, and marked the beginning of an esteemed collaboration with guitarist Randy Rhodes. The pair continued working together until Rhodes passed away in a plane accident in 1982.

Throughout his music career, Osbourne was notorious for hedonistic and jarring behaviour onstage and off that helped him earn the nickname “Prince of Darkness” and shaped public perception of rock and roll excess. One such canonizing event took place in 1981 when he bit the head off of a dove after signing a record deal with CBS; he repeated the action on stage in 1982 with a live bat thrown onstage by a fan (Osbourne claimed he thought it was a toy). In 1989 he was arrested in Moscow after attempting to strangle his wife Sharon Osbourne.

In 2002, Osbourne became a reality TV star thanks to The Osbournes, an MTV reality show that documented the lives of Ozzy, Sharon, and their children Jack and Kelly. The program ended in 2005. In 2020, Ozzy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and underwent spinal surgery in 2022.