Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne dies, weeks after farewell show

Ozzy Osbourne, one of the most recognisable and influential musicians in rock, has died at the age of 76.

As frontman of Black Sabbath, the Birmingham-born musician is credited with inventing heavy metal, thanks to songs like Iron Man and Paranoid.

Less than three weeks ago, the self-styled “Prince of Darkness” performed a farewell concert in his hometown, supported by many of the musicians he had inspired, including Metallica and Guns ‘n’ Roses.

In a statement, his family said: “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.”

They did not specify a cause of death, although the star had a series of health problems and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019.

A spokesperson for the family confirmed to BBC News that Osbourne died in the UK.

Born John Michael Osbourne, he dropped out of school aged 15, holding several low-paid jobs and spending a short spell in prison for burglary before embarking on his musical career.

After singing with several local bands, he joined Black Sabbath alongside guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward in the late 1960s.

They developed a unique sound, inspired by the blues but slower, louder and more sinister – with frequent references to the occult.

Considered pioneers of heavy metal, they released their self-titled album in 1970 and followed it up with platinum records such as Paranoid and Master of Reality throughout the rest of the decade.

Fired from the band in 1978, he launched a successful solo career with the 1980 album Blizzard of Ozz, featuring the classic single Crazy Train.

The following year’s Diary of a Madman was even more popular, selling more than five million copies.

Along the way, Osbourne developed a reputation for his unhinged live performances, exemplified by the (possibly apocryphal) story that he had once bitten the head off a bat during a concert, having mistakenly thought it was a toy thrown on stage by a fan.

His intake of drink and drugs was legendary, leading to some peculiar behaviour. The rock band Motley Crue once described how Osbourne, in a competition to see whose habits were the most debauched, snorted a line of ants from a hotel floor.

There was also a dark side to his addiction. In 1989, he woke up in jail, having been arrested for the attempted murder of his second wife, Sharon.

Following the arrest, Osbourne was ordered by the court to spend six months in rehabilitation. Believing he was remorseful, Sharon decided not to press charges.

Speaking in the 2020 documentary The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, she recalled: “I told him, ‘I don’t want the money but if you do this again, either I am going to kill you or you are going to kill me. And do you want that for the kids?’”

In the 1990s, his wild image transformed thanks to the MTV reality show The Osbournes – which portrayed the star as the well-meaning, frequently befuddled patriarch of an unruly household.

This, he said, was his true personality.

“All the stuff onstage, the craziness, it’s all just a role that I play, my work,” he told The New York Times in 1992. “I am not the Antichrist. I am a family man.”

The Osbournes also made stars of his manager-wife Sharon, and children Jack and Kelly – with whom he duetted on a chart topping version of the Sabbath song Changes in 2003.

The same year, however, he suffered a spinal injury in 2003 after a crash involving an all-terrain vehicle, or ATV.

The injury was exacerbated by a late-night fall in 2019, that required several rounds of extensive surgery.

In 2020, the star revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and largely stepped back from touring after playing the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

However, he was determined to make one last appearance, bowing out with his last concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park on 5 July – a stone’s throw from his childhood home in Aston.

The musician sang while seated on a black throne – clapping, waving his arms and pulling wild-eyed looks as he performed hits including Crazy Train, Mr Crowley and War Pigs.

He appeared overwhelmed at some moments. “You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he told the audience – and almost six million more people who tuned in for the live stream.

Speaking on stage, Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo said the artists on the bill “would all be different people” without Osbourne and Black Sabbath.

“That’s the truth. I wouldn’t be up here with this microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath. The greatest of all time.”

A host of stars including Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood and Metallica have paid tribute to Osbourne.

On social media, Black Sabbath co-founder Tony Iommi said he couldn’t “really find the words” adding he and the other band members have “lost our brother”.

Fellow band member, bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler, said “Goodbye dear friend – thanks for all those years – we had some great fun. Four kids from Aston – who’d have thought, eh?”

Elton John said Osbourne was “a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend”.

Singer Yungblud, who performed a cover of Changes at the farewell concert with Black Sabbath in Birmingham just weeks ago, hailed Osbourne as a “legend” and said “I didn’t think you would leave so soon”.

Queen guitarist Sir Brian May said “the world will miss Ozzie’s unique presence and fearless talent”, adding that he was grateful to have shared “a few quiet words with him” after Osbourne’s final show.

Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong posted a photo of the singer on Instagram and wrote: “No words. We love you Ozzy.”

Sir Rod Stewart said: “Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I’ll see you up there – later rather than sooner.”

Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, who was among musicians who performed during Black Sabbath’s final show, said Osbourne “will always be a one of a kind, a true rock legend”.

Osbourne is survived by his wife and their three children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack Osbourne, and several grandchildren. He also is survived by three children from a previous marriage: Jessica, Louis and Elliot.