Legendary Black Sabbath rocker Ozzy Osbourne dead at 76

Yahoo

4 days ago

Rest In Peace, Prince of Darkness.
Ozzy Osbourne died on Tuesday, his family said in a statement obtained by Page Six. He was 76.
'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,' the statement reads.
'He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.'
The Sun was first to report the news of the legendary rocker's death.
The Black Sabbath frontman had just performed at a farewell concert earlier this month.
The iconic heavy metal band paid tribute to their late lead singer via Instagram Tuesday, writing alongside a recent image of him onstage, 'Ozzy Forever.'
In early July, his youngest daughter, Kelly Osbourne, was forced to debunk rumors that he was dying after AI videos of him claiming he was surfaced.
In his final years, Ozzy's health had taken a turn.
The heavy metal legend revealed in January 2020 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a secret he had kept for over 15 years.
In addition to the progressive brain disorder affecting his nervous system, Ozzy had been reeling from neck injuries he sustained in a 2003 quad biking accident.
The 'Crazy Train' singer explained in May 2022 that he could not 'walk properly' anymore and would be undergoing a 'life-altering' neck surgery that summer to aid his issues.
A few months after the operation, Ozzy shared that he was walking 'considerably' better because he could 'hold [his] head up.'
The 'Iron Man' performer subsequently made a successful comeback and even took the stage for an NFL halftime show performance in September 2022.
However, by February 2023, Ozzy announced he was retiring from touring amid growing health concerns.
'Never would have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way,' he wrote in an emotional announcement. 'I have now come to the realization that I'm not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn't deal with the travel required.'
The 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' crooner remained hopeful at the time, sharing that his team was 'coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country.'
Despite his positive outlook, Ozzy admitted that 'at best, [he had] 10 years left' and bid farewell to performing in November 2023.
Ozzy was able to take the stage one last time in July 2025 when he reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmembers to perform a farewell concert in Birmingham, England.
The 10-hour show featured performances from Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Jack Black and more.
Ozzy, who was born in England in December 1948 and diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia as a child, always had a passion for music.
In 1968, he founded Black Sabbath alongside Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler in Birmingham. The band is widely credited with playing a major role in the development of the heavy metal genre.
However, by 1979, Ozzy was fired from the group due to his drug addiction, so he was forced to pursue a career as a solo artist. (The rocker would later reveal in 2021 that he had finally gotten sober seven years prior.)
With the help of his wife, music manager Sharon Osbourne, whom he married in July 1982, Ozzy was able to release 13 studio albums of his own.
Amid his solo stint, the rocker went viral — before the word even existed — in January 1982 for biting the head off a bat during a performance on his 'Diary of a Madman' tour.
Years later, the 'No More Tears' singer reunited with his former Black Sabbath bandmates on a few occasions. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and then embarked on a farewell tour from 2016 to 2017.
By that point, though, Ozzy had amassed a huge amount of success in the US as a reality star on 'The Osbournes' alongside Sharon and their kids Jack Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne. Their eldest daughter, Aimee Osbourne, did not participate in the landmark MTV show.
'The Osbournes,' which premiered in March 2002, is widely recognized as one of the shows that helped define the reality TV genre, as there were not others like it at the time.
The series followed the expletive-friendly family's funniest moments — such as when Sharon threw a ham over a neighbor's fence and Ozzy mumbled his way through a sentence.
However, it also showcased how the tight-knit bunch navigated major events such as Sharon's cancer battle and the aftermath of an ATV accident that nearly killed Ozzy.
'The Osbournes' wrapped in March 2005 but remained an iconic piece of pop culture history.
The show launched careers for Sharon, Kelly and Jack in their own right, as the trio landed hosting gigs on 'The Talk,' 'Fashion Police' and 'Portals to Hell,' respectively.
Throughout his life, Sharon was always by Ozzy's side — even though the pair went through several rough patches during their 40-plus-year marriage.
The couple almost called it quits in 2016 after it was revealed that 'Psycho Man' singer had numerous affairs over the years with 'women in different countries.'
However, Ozzy and Sharon went on to renew their vows in May 2017 after the British rocker began therapy for sex addiction.
A biopic of their love story was announced in October 2021, and Sharon said in a statement at the time, 'Our relationship at times was often wild, insane and dangerous, but it was our undying love that kept us together.'
Ozzy is also survived by three children from his previous marriage to Thelma Riley: his biological kids, Jessica Osbourne and Louis Osbourne, and Elliot Kingsley, Riley's son, whom he adopted.
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