Latest news with #Parkinsons disease
Asharq Al-Awsat
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ozzy Osbourne, Who Led Black Sabbath and Became the Godfather of Heavy Metal, Dies at 76
Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. 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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," a family statement from Birmingham, England, said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson's disease after suffering a fall. Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents' groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show "The Osbournes." The Big Bang of heavy metal Black Sabbath's 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock 'n' roll. The band's second album, "Paranoid," included such classic metal tunes as "War Pigs,Iron Man" and "Fairies Wear Boots." The song "Paranoid" only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band's signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine. "Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who's serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath," Dave Navarro of the band Jane's Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. "There's a direct line you can draw back from today's metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath." Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. "We knew we didn't really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation," wrote bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler in his memoir, "Into the Void." Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with "Blizzard of Ozz" and the following year's "Diary of a Madman," both hard rock classics that went multiplatinum and spawned enduring favorites such as "Crazy Train,Goodbye to Romance,Flying High Again" and "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll." Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist. The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July for what Osbourne said would be his final concert. "Let the madness begin!" he told 42,000 fans in Birmingham. Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon all did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar and more made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities. "Black Sabbath: we'd all be different people without them, that's the truth," said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. "I know I wouldn't be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath." Outlandish exploits and a classic look Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off the live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.) Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song "Suicide Solution." The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC. Then-Cardinal John J. O'Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne's songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. "You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs," the singer wrote back. "You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world." Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty "God bless!" He started an annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Osbourne's look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw "13," which reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the US Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone's "Take What You Want," Osbourne's first song in the Top 10 since 1989. In 2020, he released the album "Ordinary Man," which had as its title song a duet with Elton John. In 2022, he landed his first career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his album "Patient Number 9," which featured collaborations with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo and Duff McKagan. It earned four Grammy nominations, winning two. (Osbourne won five Grammys over his lifetime.) At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2024, Jack Black called him "greatest frontman in the history of rock 'n' roll" and "the Jack Nicholson of rock." Osbourne thanked his fans, his guitarist Randy Rhoads and his longtime wife, Sharon Osbourne. The beginnings of Black Sabbath John Michael Osbourne was raised in the gritty city of Birmingham. Kids in school nicknamed him Ozzy, short for his surname. As a boy, he loved the Four Seasons, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The Beatles made a huge impression. "They came from Liverpool, which was approximately 60 miles north of where I come from," he told Billboard. "So all of a sudden it was in my grasp, but I never thought it would be as successful as it became." In the late 1960s, Osbourne had teamed up with Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward as the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They decided to rename the band Earth, but found to their dismay there was another band with that name. So they changed the name to the American title of the classic Italian horror movie "I Tre Volti Della Paura," starring Boris Karloff: Black Sabbath. Once they found their sludgy, ominous groove, the band was productive, putting out their self-titled debut and "Paranoid" in 1970, "Master of Reality" in 1971, "Vol. 4" in 1972 and "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" in 1973. The music was all about industrial guitar riffs and disorienting changes in time signatures, along with lyrics that spoke of alienation and doom. The Guardian newspaper in 2009 said the band "introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to flower power. Black Sabbath confronted the empty platitudes of the 1960s and, along with Altamont and Charles Manson, almost certainly helped kill off the hippy counterculture." After Sabbath, Osbourne had an uncanny knack for calling some of the most creative young guitarists to his side. When he went solo, he hired the brilliant innovator Rhoads, who played on two of Osbourne's finest solo albums, "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman." Rhoads was killed in a freak plane accident in 1982; Osbourne released the live album "Tribute" in 1987 in his memory. Osbourne then signed Jake E. Lee, who lent his talents to the platinum albums "Bark at the Moon" and "The Ultimate Sin." Hotshot Zakk Wylde joined Osbourne's band for "No Rest for the Wicked" and the multiplatinum "No More Tears." Courting controversy — and wholesomeness Whomever he was playing with, Osbourne wasn't likely to back down from controversy. He had the last laugh when the TV evangelist the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart in 1986 lambasted various rock groups and rock magazines as "the new pornography," prompting some retailers to pull Osbourne's album. Much later, a whole new Osbourne would be revealed when "The Osbournes," which ran on MTV from 2002-2005, showed this one-time self-proclaimed madman drinking Diet Cokes as he struggled to find the History Channel on his new satellite television or warning his kids not to smoke or drink before they embarked on a night on the town. Later, he and his son Jack toured America on the travel show "Ozzy & Jack's World Detour," where the pair visited such places as Mount Rushmore and the Space Center Houston. Osbourne was honored in 2014 with the naming of a bat frog found in the Amazon that makes high-pitched, batlike calls. It was dubbed Dendropsophus ozzyi. He also met Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee weekend. He was standing next to singer-actor Cliff Richard. "She took one look at the two of us, said 'Oh, so this is what they call variety, is it?' then cracked up laughing. I honestly thought that Sharon had slipped some acid into my cornflakes that morning," he wrote in "I Am Ozzy." Thelma Riley and Osbourne married in 1971; Osbourne adopted her son Elliot Kingsley, and they had two more children, Jessica and Louis. Osbourne later met his wife, then Sharon Levy, who became her own celebrity persona, when she was running her father's Los Angeles office. Her father was Don Arden, a top concert promoter and artist manager. She went to Osbourne's hotel in Los Angeles to collect money, which Osbourne had spent on drugs. They married in 1982, had three children — Kelly, Aimee and Jack — and endured periodic separations and reconciliations. He is survived by Sharon Osbourne and his children.
Arab News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Ozzy Osbourne, lead of Black Sabbath and godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76
Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. 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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,' a family statement from Birmingham, England, said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson's disease after suffering a clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents' groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show 'The Osbournes.'The Big Bang of heavy metalBlack Sabbath's 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock 'n' band's second album, 'Paranoid,' included such classic metal tunes as 'War Pigs,' 'Iron Man' and 'Fairies Wear Boots.' The song 'Paranoid' only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band's signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.'Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who's serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,' Dave Navarro of the band Jane's Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. 'There's a direct line you can draw back from today's metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.'Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. 'We knew we didn't really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,' wrote bassist Terry 'Geezer' Butler in his memoir, 'Into the Void.'Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with 'Blizzard of Ozz' and the following year's 'Diary of a Madman,' both hard rock classics that went multiplatinum and spawned enduring favorites such as 'Crazy Train,' 'Goodbye to Romance,' 'Flying High Again' and 'You Can't Kill Rock and Roll.' Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July for what Osbourne said would be his final concert. 'Let the madness begin!' he told 42,000 fans in Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon all did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar and more made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities.'Black Sabbath: we'd all be different people without them, that's the truth,' said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. 'I know I wouldn't be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath.'Outlandish exploits and a classic lookOsbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off the live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song 'Suicide Solution.' The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/ John J. O'Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne's songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. 'You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,' the singer wrote back. 'You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.'Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty 'God bless!'He started an annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw '13,' which reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the US Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone's 'Take What You Want,' Osbourne's first song in the Top 10 since 2020, he released the album 'Ordinary Man,' which had as its title song a duet with Elton John. 'I've been a bad guy, been higher than the blue sky/And the truth is I don't wanna die an ordinary man,' he sang. In 2022, he landed his first career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his album 'Patient Number 9,' which featured collaborations with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo and Duff McKagan. It earned four Grammy nominations, winning two. (Osbourne won five Grammys over his lifetime.)At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2024, Jack Black called him 'greatest frontman in the history of rock 'n' roll' and 'the Jack Nicholson of rock.' Osbourne thanked his fans, his guitarist Randy Rhoads and his longtime wife, Sharon beginnings of Black SabbathJohn Michael Osbourne was raised in the gritty city of Birmingham. Kids in school nicknamed him Ozzy, short for his surname. As a boy, he loved the Four Seasons, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The Beatles made a huge impression.'They came from Liverpool, which was approximately 60 miles north of where I come from,' he told Billboard. 'So all of a sudden it was in my grasp, but I never thought it would be as successful as it became.'In the late 1960s, Osbourne had teamed up with Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward as the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They decided to rename the band Earth, but found to their dismay there was another band with that name. So they changed the name to the American title of the classic Italian horror movie 'I Tre Volti Della Paura,' starring Boris Karloff: Black they found their sludgy, ominous groove, the band was productive, putting out their self-titled debut and 'Paranoid' in 1970, 'Master of Reality' in 1971, 'Vol. 4' in 1972 and 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' in music was all about industrial guitar riffs and disorienting changes in time signatures, along with lyrics that spoke of alienation and doom. 'People think I'm insane because I am frowning all the time,' Osbourne sang in one song. 'All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy/Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something to pacify.'The Guardian newspaper in 2009 said the band 'introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to flower power. Black Sabbath confronted the empty platitudes of the 1960s and, along with Altamont and Charles Manson, almost certainly helped kill off the hippy counterculture.'After Sabbath, Osbourne had an uncanny knack for calling some of the most creative young guitarists to his side. When he went solo, he hired the brilliant innovator Rhoads, who played on two of Osbourne's finest solo albums, 'Blizzard of Ozz' and 'Diary of a Madman.' Rhoads was killed in a freak plane accident in 1982; Osbourne released the live album 'Tribute' in 1987 in his then signed Jake E. Lee, who lent his talents to the platinum albums 'Bark at the Moon' and 'The Ultimate Sin.' Hotshot Zakk Wylde joined Osbourne's band for 'No Rest for the Wicked' and the multiplatinum 'No More Tears.''They come along, they sprout wings, they blossom, and they fly off,' Osbourne said of his players in 1995 to The Associated Press. 'But I have to move on. To get a new player now and again boosts me on.'Courting controversy — and wholesomenessWhomever he was playing with, Osbourne wasn't likely to back down from controversy. He had the last laugh when the TV evangelist the Rev. Jimmy Swaggart in 1986 lambasted various rock groups and rock magazines as 'the new pornography,' prompting some retailers to pull Osbourne's Swaggart later was caught with a sex worker in 1988, Osbourne put out the song 'Miracle Man' about his foe: 'Miracle man got busted/miracle man got busted,' he sang. 'Today I saw a Miracle Man, on TV cryin'/Such a hypocritical man, born again, dying.'Much later, a whole new Osbourne would be revealed when 'The Osbournes,' which ran on MTV from 2002-2005, showed this one-time self-proclaimed madman drinking Diet Cokes as he struggled to find the History Channel on his new satellite television or warning his kids not to smoke or drink before they embarked on a night on the he and his son Jack toured America on the travel show 'Ozzy & Jack's World Detour,' where the pair visited such places as Mount Rushmore and the Space Center Houston. Osbourne was honored in 2014 with the naming of a bat frog found in the Amazon that makes high-pitched, batlike calls. It was dubbed Dendropsophus also met Queen Elizabeth II during her Golden Jubilee weekend. He was standing next to singer-actor Cliff Richard. 'She took one look at the two of us, said 'Oh, so this is what they call variety, is it?' then cracked up laughing. I honestly thought that Sharon had slipped some acid into my cornflakes that morning,' he wrote in 'I Am Ozzy.'Thelma Riley and Osbourne married in 1971; Osbourne adopted her son Elliot Kingsley, and they had two more children, Jessica and Louis. Osbourne later met his wife, then Sharon Levy, who became her own celebrity persona, when she was running her father's Los Angeles office. Her father was Don Arden, a top concert promoter and artist manager. She went to Osbourne's hotel in Los Angeles to collect money, which Osbourne had spent on drugs.'She says she'll come back in three days and I'd better have it. I'd always fancied her and I thought, 'Ah, she's coming back! Maybe I have a chance.' I had pizza hanging from my hair, cigarette ashes on my shirt,' he told the Los Angeles Times in 2000. They married in 1982, had three children — Kelly, Aimee and Jack — and endured periodic separations and is survived by Sharon Osbourne and his children.
Medscape
7 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Behavioral Therapy as First-Line for Bladder Control in PD?
TOPLINE: Structured behavioral therapy focused on pelvic floor muscle exercise was noninferior to treatment with solifenacin for alleviating overactive bladder symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), new research showed. Because it was also associated with fewer side effects, especially falls, researchers recommended the behavioral therapy as a first-line treatment option. METHODOLOGY: This 12-week randomized noninferiority trial was conducted between 2018 and 2023 within four Veterans Affairs healthcare systems in the US. Overall, 77 patients diagnosed with PD and overactive bladder symptoms, as measured with an International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire overactive bladder module (ICIQ-OAB) symptom score ≥ 7, were included. All participants (mean age, 71 years; 84% men; 90% White individuals) were randomly assigned to receive either pelvic floor muscle exercise-based behavioral therapy with urge suppression training (n = 36) or 5 mg solifenacin daily with need-based titration up to 10 mg daily (n = 41). The primary outcome was ICIQ-OAB symptom score at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes were ICIQ-OAB bother and quality of life scores and drug-related adverse events. TAKEAWAY: At 12 weeks, clinically significant improvement in ICIQ-OAB scores was observed across both treatment groups within a noninferiority margin of 15% (drug vs behavioral therapy: mean ICIQ-OAB score, 5.8 vs 5.5; P = .02). Both groups also had a reduction in symptom frequency, which was associated with a reduction in bother scores and an improvement in overactive bladder-related quality of life. Compared with the behavioral therapy group, the solifenacin group had a greater number of adverse events, including dry mouth (P = .002) and pain or burning during urination (P = .03). They also had a greater number of falls (6 vs 0). IN PRACTICE: 'The finding of increased falls in the solifenacin therapy group reinforces the need to carefully consider the risk-benefit ratio of medications for urinary symptoms, especially given the increased risk of falls among persons with PD. Results of this study suggest that behavioral therapy is an effective treatment option for persons with PD,' the investigators wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Camille P. Vaughan, MD, Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology in the Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta. It was published online on July 14 in JAMA Neurology. LIMITATIONS: The follow-up duration was limited to 12 weeks, restricting insight into longer-term outcomes. The cohort predominantly had male participants, reducing the generalizability of the findings, and the study relied on patient-reported data. Additionally, a higher dropout in the drug group led to nonrandom missing data, potentially biasing comparisons. DISCLOSURES: The study was funded by a grant from Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development. Two investigators reported receiving grants from various sources during the conduct of the study. The other nine investigators reported having no relevant financial relationships. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
‘Changed the planet of rock': Tributes pour in for rock icon Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne, a trailblazer who rose to fame as a founding force in heavy metal music and later became a reality television icon, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76. His family confirmed his death in a statement, but did not disclose the location or cause. In recent years, Osbourne had been undergoing treatment for a form of Parkinson's disease. He died just two weeks after performing a farewell show in his hometown of Birmingham, England. This is how family, friends and musicians paid tribute: '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,' the statement read. The statement was signed by the singer's wife, Sharon Osbourne, and their children, Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Aimee Osbourne. Louis Osbourne, his son with his ex-wife, Thelma Riley, also signed the statement. Aston Villa FC honoured one of its most iconic fans. 'Aston Villa Football Club is saddened to learn that world-renowned rockstar and Villan Ozzy Osbourne has passed away. 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 in a statement. Aston Villa Football Club is saddened to learn that world-renowned rockstar and Villan, Ozzy Osbourne has passed away. 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 thoughts of everyone at… — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 22, 2025 Black Sabbath cofounder Tony Iommi said on Facebook: 'I just can't believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park. 'It's just such heartbreaking news that I can't really find the words, there won't ever be another like him,' he said. 'Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace Oz.' Elton John said he was 'so sad to hear the news'. '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,' John said. A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn) 'No words. We love you Ozzy,' Armstrong wrote in a caption accompanying a photo he posted on his Instagram account. A post shared by Billie Joe (@billiejoearmstrong) The heavy metal band Metallica paid tribute on X by posting a photo of themselves with Ozzy Osbourne, accompanied by a simple broken heart emoji. 💔 — Metallica (@Metallica) July 22, 2025 The metal band Motörhead shared a tribute posting a photo of Osbourne with their late frontman, Lemmy. A post shared by Motörhead (@officialmotorhead) Nirvana's official X account shared a brief message expressing gratitude to Osbourne and Black Sabbath for inspiring the iconic grunge rock band. Thank you Ozzy Osbourne for the inspiration. @BlackSabbath is the template for heavy Rock. #Ozzy — Nirvana (@Nirvana) July 22, 2025 'Farewell Ozzy … what a journey … sail on up there .. finally at peace .. you truly changed the planet of rock!,' Plant said in a social media post. Farewell Ozzy … what a journey … sail on up there .. finally at peace .. you truly changed the planet of rock! — Robert Plant (@RobertPlant) July 22, 2025 Although Osbourne famously bit the head off a dead bat during a 1982 concert, he was also a vocal supporter of animal welfare. 'Ozzy Osbourne was a legend and a provocateur, but PETA will remember the 'Prince of Darkness' most fondly for the gentle side he showed to animals – most recently cats, by using his fame to decry painful, crippling declawing mutilations,' PETA's senior vice president, Lisa Lange, said in a statement to Yahoo news. 'Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend,' Stewart said on Instagram. 'I'll see you up there – later rather than sooner.' A post shared by Sir Rod Stewart (@sirrodstewart) 'I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne. What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham,' Wood added. I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne 💔🙏 What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham🙏☀️❤️🎤 — Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) July 22, 2025 Sony Music issued a statement saying that 'his music will live on'. 'Sony Music is deeply saddened by the passing of our legendary recording artist Ozzy Osbourne,' the statement said. 'He redefined the sound and spirit of rock music and became an unmistakable voice and icon for his millions of fans around the world!' A post shared by epicrecords (@epicrecords) Parkinson's UK Charity 'News of Ozzy Osbourne's death, so soon after his celebratory homecoming show, will come as a shock to so many. By speaking openly about both his diagnosis and life with Parkinson's, Ozzy and all his family helped so many families in the same situation,' the charity said in a statement. 'They normalised tough conversations and made others feel less alone with a condition that's on the rise and affecting more people every day.' Yungblud: 'You were the greatest' Rocker Yungblud shared a photo with Osbourne on Instagram, expressing shock at his passing and saying he never thought Osbourne would 'leave so soon'. He described the Black Sabbath legend as 'so full of life' during their last encounter. A post shared by YUNGBLUD (@yungblud)
France 24
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76
Ozzy Osbourne, frontman of 1970s heavy metal band Black Sabbath, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. 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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,' a family statement said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson's disease after suffering a fall. Known to fans as "The Prince of Darkness" and the "Godfather of Heavy Metal", Osbourne earned his infamy biting the head off a bat on stage and pursuing a drug-fuelled lifestyle before reinventing himself as a loveable if often foul-mouthed reality TV star. He kicked off his career blaring out Black Sabbath's hits, from "Paranoid" to "War Pigs" to "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath". Those plus a string of solo releases saw him sell more than 100 million records worldwide. The hard riffs and dark subject matter – from depression to war to apocalypse – combined with an instinct for Halloween theatrics. As a performer, Osbourne sprinkled audiences with raw meat and, in 1982, had his encounter with a bat thrown on stage by a fan. He always insisted he thought it was a toy until he bit into it, realised his mistake and rushed to hospital for a rabies shot. He later sold branded bat soft toys with a removable head. The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July 2025 in Osbourne's hometown of Birmingham in the UK for what Osborne said would be his final concert. 'Let the madness begin!' he told 42,000 fans. Rock heavyweights Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool and Pantera all played as the concert as did veteran rockers Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood and Travis Barker. At the concert Osbourne performed sitting, at times appearing to have difficulties speaking as he thanked thousands of adoring fans, some of whom were visibly emotional. "Thanks for your support over the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you," said Osbourne. Wood wrote on social media on Tuesday: "I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne. What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham." 'Looking for a good time' Osbourne was a regular target for conservative and religious groups concerned about the negative impact of rock music on young people. He always acknowledged the excesses of his lifestyle and lyrics – but poured scorn on the wilder reports that he was an actual devil-worshipper. "I've done some bad things in my time. But I ain't the devil. I'm just John Osbourne: a working class kid from Aston who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time," he said in a 2010 biography. John Michael Osbourne was the fourth of six children, growing up in Aston, in the city of Birmingham in central England. He struggled with dyslexia, left school at age 15, did a series of menial jobs, and at one point served a brief prison sentence for burglary. Then came Black Sabbath. "When I was growing up, if you'd have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of 60, with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and California, I wouldn't have put money on me, no fucking way." Britain's Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, a member of parliament representing a Birmingham constituency, said on social media platform X that she was devastated to hear the news of his death. "One of the greatest gifts my city gave the world," Mahmood wrote. "My thoughts are with his family." It was those latter stages of his life that provided the setting for his reinvention in 2002 as the star of US TV show "The Osbournes". Cameras followed the aging rock god ambling round his huge house, pronouncing on events in his heavy Birmingham accent and looking on bemused at the antics of his family - a format that won them all legions of new fans. Osbourne's family included wife and manager Sharon, five children including Jack, Kelly and Aimee, and several grandchildren.
