Ozzy Osbourne died at 76: the godfather of Heavy Metal bows out after iconic career

Al Bawaba

22-07-2025

ALBAWABA - Ozzy Osbourne, the lead singer of Black Sabbath and reality TV star, died on Tuesday, his family said. He was 76 years old.
The singer's family told CNN, "It is with more sadness than words can express that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning." " He was with his family and loved ones." At this time, we ask that everyone give our family space.
There were no details released right away about the cause of death.
The sad news comes just a few weeks after Osbourne played with Black Sabbath in his home city of Birmingham, England, earlier this month. There, he met up with bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward, and guitarist Tony Iommi again. "Back to the Beginning" was the name of the music event where Black Sabbath played, which was their first show in twenty years. The official website for Black Sabbath says that the show was Osbourne's "final bow."
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Musician Ozzy Osbourne (/AFP)
Ozzy Osbourne built an image as crazy as his music by doing crazy things on stage, like biting off the head of a bat and throwing raw meat at people. Even though he had many problems with alcohol and drugs, he was still liked by the rock elite and hated by the religious right, who often said he worshiped the devil.
In later years, Osbourne changed his name and became a reality TV star. The hit reality show "The Osbournes" let people see what his famous family was like every day. He played himself on the show. Reality TV as we know it today got its start with this show, which paved the way for shows like The Kardashians.
John "Ozzy" Osbourne was born in Birmingham, England, on December 3, 1948. Birmingham is in the middle of England. His father made tools, and his mother worked in a shop. He missed a lot of school when he was 15, so he worked as a laborer on a building site, in a slaughterhouse, and even as a burglar. As Osbourne wrote in his 2009 autobiography, "I Am Ozzy," that short time in jail ended with a six-week term because his father refused to pay a fine.
British singer Ozzy Osbourne (L) and wife television personality Sharon Osbourne (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)
Osbourne got ideas for his music from The Beatles. He says that their 1963 hit song "She Loves You" was the time he decided to become a musician.
In 1967, Butler put together a band called Rare Breed and asked Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, and drummer Bill Ward to join. Many names were tried by the band before "Black Sabbath" was chosen. The idea came from Butler telling "Rolling Stone" in 2016 that he thought, "If people paid money to feel scared at the movies, then the same must be true of concerts."
In 1969, they made their self-titled first album in just two days. "After we were done, we double-tracked some of the guitar and vocals for a couple of hours, and that was it." That's it," Osbourne wrote in his book. "We got to the pub just in time for the last supper." The whole thing couldn't have taken more than 12 hours. I believe that's the right way to make records.
People called Osbourne the "Godfather of Heavy Metal" because his sound defined a whole generation of music. Black Sabbath's dark, loud sound and use of satanic imagery, especially the tritone, a musical interval linked to the Devil, made them very famous right away. When it came out in 1970, their second record, "Paranoid," topped the charts in the UK. The band wouldn't get that high on the charts again until "13" came out in 2013.
Despite the frequent use of the term "heavy metal" to characterize Osbourne, he held varying opinions about it. In 2013, he told CNN, "I have never, ever been able to attach myself to the word 'heavy metal.' It has no musical connotations." "I'd like it if it was heavy rock, but the 70s were bluesy, the 80s had big hair and bright clothes, and the 90s were grungy."
Due to ongoing drug problems, Osbourne's time with Black Sabbath ended in 1979. However, he continued to do well as a solo artist, putting out 11 records before rejoining the band in 1997.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 29: Ozzy Osbourne (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images via AFP)
Perhaps the most well-known incident involving Osbourne occurred during his "Diary of a Madman" tour in 1982. The shocking event took place in Des Moines, Iowa, at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. In the end, Osbourne said he was sure the bat was made of rubber. "When I do interviews, people always ask me, 'What do bats taste like, Ozzy?'" He joked on NBC's "Today Show" in 1987, "Like my mother-in-law's cooking."
His troubled personal life, which included a split from his first wife, Thelma Mayfair, was often in the news. One of the worst relationships he had was with his father-in-law and previous manager, Don Arden. Arden was a big name in the music business and had worked with famous artists like Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Osbourne first met Sharon Arden when she was a teen. They started going out together when she was 28 years old, in 1979. Even though Don Arden didn't want them to, they got married in 1982. In a shocking turn of events, he gave Sharon Ozzy's management contract as a wedding present. In return, she took Ozzy off of her dad's record business and signed him with CBS Records, which was much bigger.
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Ozzy Osbourne (Photo by KEVIN WINTER / Getty Images via AFP)
The Daily Telegraph says that Arden sued and got a million-dollar payment. Sharon didn't talk to her dad for almost 20 years, even after she became Osbourne's long-time manager.
Ozzy Osbourne's career had many ups and downs over the years, but he always stood for defiant, devil-may-care rock fame. This image has left a lasting mark on both music and pop culture.