Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76 as Jack White, Elton John, Metallica and others mourn Black Sabbath frontman with 'Long live the Oz'

Economic Times

5 days ago

Ozzy Osbourne, one of rock music's most recognisable figures, has died at the age of 76. His family confirmed the news in a statement shared on social media, '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.'
Osbourne's death follows years of health struggles, including a Parkinson's diagnosis he revealed in 2020. His final public appearance came just weeks earlier, on 5 July, at Villa Park in Birmingham — the city where Black Sabbath was born.
The farewell show, titled Back to the Beginning, saw Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for one last performance. Seated on a black throne, his presence still loomed large. The concert drew thousands of fans and an A-list of rock royalty, including Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Tool and Pantera.Anthrax, who performed at the show, called it 'an honour' and said, 'Ozzy, thank you for everything. Simply put, none of us would be us without you.'Phil Anselmo of Pantera put it plainly: 'I wouldn't be here without Black Sabbath.'
Tributes have poured in from across the world.Elton John wrote, 'So sad to hear the news of @ozzyosbourne passing away. He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods — a true legend. He was also one of the funniest people I've ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love.'Rod Stewart said, 'Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I'll see you up there — later rather than sooner.'Metallica said, 'Hero, icon, pioneer, inspiration, mentor, and, most of all, friend... Ozzy and Sharon believed in us and transformed our lives and careers.'Tony Iommi, co-founder of Black Sabbath, added, 'My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. There won't ever be another like him.'Bill Ward, drummer of Black Sabbath, said, 'Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls, no, you're forever in my heart... Never goodbye. Thank you forever.'Other tributes came from Nirvana, Questlove, AC/DC, Pantera, Wolfgang Van Halen, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jason Momoa, Ronnie Wood, Gene Simmons, and Flavor Flav, all echoing the same message: there was only one Ozzy.Born John Michael Osbourne on 3 December 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and bounced between factory jobs. After a brief prison sentence for theft, he found music through a band with bassist Geezer Butler. That band became Black Sabbath in 1969.
Their 1970 debut album introduced a heavier, darker sound that rewrote the rules of rock. Paranoid, released later that year, gave the world Iron Man and War Pigs. The influence was instant and lasting. In 1979, Osbourne was removed from Black Sabbath due to chronic substance abuse and missed performances. What followed, though, was a solo career that only expanded his legend.
Albums like Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman delivered hits like Crazy Train and Flying High Again. Even as the music world shifted, Ozzy kept pushing forward.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first with Sabbath in 2006, then as a solo artist in 2024. Ozzy was notorious for his on-stage stunts — the most infamous being the time he bit the head off a bat in 1982. He was wild, unpredictable and often misunderstood.But then came The Osbournes.From 2002 to 2005, MTV's reality series showed a different side of the metal icon. He fumbled with the remote, sipped Diet Coke, and scolded his kids about partying. It was strangely endearing.Publicist Danny Deraney said, 'You saw some guy who was curious. You saw some guy who was being funny. You just saw pretty much the real thing.'
Kathryn VanArendonk, a critic for Vulture, called it 'this really fascinating, appealing, bizarre tension between the public persona of a celebrity and their mundane experiences at home.' Nick Caruso from TVLine added, 'We just got to see this like totally 180-degree different side of Ozzy which was just surprising and incredible to watch.'The series not only humanised Ozzy but also changed reality TV forever. Shows like The Kardashians and The Baldwins followed directly in its wake.Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, reflecting on Ozzy's final show, told the BBC's Jamie Coomarasamy, 'He was a musical pioneer — you have to look at Ozzy like you look at someone like Sinatra, a standalone voice whose singing spans decades. He created genres that can't be repeated.'Corgan added, 'Both men had a voice that seemed to speak of something greater than the person themselves understood.'Henry Rollins, former frontman of Black Flag, said, 'With Ozzy, what you saw was what you got. Just a genuinely good guy with an incredible amount of charisma... a wild guy, but not wild and mean.'Rollins added, 'The word love came out of his mouth on stage over and over and over again... How can you not like that?'Aston Villa Football Club also paid tribute to one of their most famous supporters.
'Growing up in Aston, not far from Villa Park, Ozzy always held a special connection to the club and the community he came from,' the club said. They recalled how, just months earlier, a massive image of Osbourne was displayed ahead of their Champions League clash with Celtic. 'He embodies Villa's Aston origins, bridging the worlds of rock metal and football.'Ozzy Osbourne's cause of death has not yet been disclosed. But his legacy is clear.He changed music. He shocked and delighted crowds. He became a symbol — not just of heavy metal, but of endurance, reinvention, and vulnerability.He was the bat-biting legend, the soft-spoken father, the eccentric neighbour, and the foundation of a genre.Millions mourn him. None will forget him.