BLACK Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76, his family has announced.
A statement from 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. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019.
File photo dated 11/06/18 of Ozzy Osbourne with his Golden God award and wife Sharon Osbourne in the press room at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards 2018 held at indigo at The O2 in London (Image: Ian West/PA Wire) As frontman of Black Sabbath, he was at the forefront of the heavy metal scene – a deeper, darker offshoot of hard rock.
His theatrical stage presence, including once biting off the head of a bat, and styling himself as the Prince of Darkness marked him out as a controversial figure.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work before teaming up with school friend Geezer Butler in several bands.
The pair then linked up with the other founder members of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, to form what was then called Earth Blues Company – later shortened to Earth – in 1968.
File photo dated 21/08/97 of Ozzy Osbourne, wife Sharon and children Kelly, Jack and Aimee at the Kerrang Awards 1997 in London. (Image: NEIL MUNNS) Initially a Mod who loved soul music, according to his biography on the band’s official website, Osbourne crafted his darker image after writing lyrics for a song entitled Black Sabbath after the 1963 Boris Karloff film of the same name.
The name stuck – after they were forced to change it from Earth – and the band went on to sell millions of records over the next decade on the back of sound-defining tracks including Paranoid and War Pigs.
A product of their working-class roots and the post-Vietnam War era, the band tackled themes of war, social chaos and the supernatural.
But drug use began to take its toll on Osbourne and his relationship with his fellow band members, and he was eventually fired in 1979.
File photo dated 18/05/06 of the then Prince of Wales sharing a joke with Ozzy Osbourne (left) and Chico at a reception at Clarence House for those lending their support to Saturday’s star-studded concert celebrating the 30th birthday of the Prince’s Trust. (Image: PA) He launched a solo career, enjoying success during the 1980s, before reforming with Sabbath several times – including in 2016 for a final world tour.
As a group, Black Sabbath are widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal.
As a solo artist, Osbourne released 11 albums, with his debut Blizzard Of Ozz issued in 1980, which featured two of his most revered songs, Crazy Train and Mr Crowley.
The Birmingham-born singer sold more than 100 million records worldwide with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist.
File photo dated 28/09/15 of (left to right) Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Jack Osbourne arriving for The Pride of Britain Awards 2015, at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London (Image: PA) In 2014, he was presented with a global icon award at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Osbourne married his first wife Thelma Riley in 1971 and became a stepfather to her son.
The couple also had two children but split in 1982 after, he admitted, his rock ‘n roll lifestyle meant he put her “through hell”.
He married Sharon, the daughter of his former Black Sabbath manager Don Arden, in July of that year.
The pair had met in the 1970s via her father and she took over managing Osbourne after he was booted from the heavy metal group.
File photo dated 26/11/07 of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne arriving at a Press Preview of Julien’s sale of property from the Osbourne’s homes (Image: PA) Ozzy and Sharon had three children together: Jack, Kelly and Aimee.
The couple became an unlikely hit after starring between 2002 and 2005 in The Osbournes, which also launched the careers of Jack and Kelly, but the pair temporarily split in 2016.
In 2017, he and Sharon renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas.
In January 2020 Ozzy revealed on US television that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which was discovered by doctors after a fall.
Sharon, who was at his side during the Good Morning America interview, said the diagnosis was “not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination”.
She added: “But it does affect certain nerves in your body. And it’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day.”
File photo dated 03/06/02 of Ozzy Osbourne and Kermit the Frog backstage in the gardens of Buckingham Palace for the second concert to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II (Image: PA) The musician was revealed to have a rare form of the disease called Parkin 2, which he had since birth.
Osborne bid farewell to fans with a Black Sabbath reunion in his final live performance earlier this month.
The legendary rocker told thousands of heavy metal enthusiasts at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5 that it was “so good to be on this stage” as he performed his last set from a large black throne.
File photo dated 08/08/22 of Ozzy Osbourne performing on stage during the Closing Ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham (Image: David Davies/PA Wire) Osbourne and his fellow original Black Sabbath members – Iommi, Butler and Ward – were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert.
Among the bands performing were Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N’Roses, and there were messages of thanks from other celebrities, including Jack Black, Ricky Gervais and Dolly Parton.
In an emotional moment, Osbourne said: “I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.”