The heavy metal community has been reeling over the death of Ozzy Osbourne. Yesterday (July 22), news broke the Black Sabbath and "Crazy Train" singer died in his English hometown of Birmingham after a battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 76 years old.
The Osbourne family announced the rock legend's passing in a public statement: “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," they wrote. "He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Ozzy Osbourne music at Live365.com.
Osbourne's passing comes only a few weeks after the Prince of Darkness reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates - Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. They played a triumphant final show in Birmingham on July 5; a show in which the ailing singer sat on a leather throne adorned with bats as he wailed through four musical numbers (“War Pigs,” “NIB,” “Iron Man” and “Paranoid”). With tears in his makeup-shadowed eyes, the Sabbath frontman told the crowd, “You’ve got no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
After his passing, the surviving members of Black Sabbath posted a two-word tribute on the group's official Facebook page: "Ozzy Forever."
Ozzy Osbourne was born John Michael Osbourne, in Birmingham, England, in 1948. Osbourne’s obsession with music began when he heard the Beatles’ song “She Loves You” as a teenager. He formed Black Sabbath with Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward in the late 1960s. Osbourne helped revolutionize rock music during his tenure with the band, releasing albums like Paranoid and Master of Reality that would define heavy metal in the decades to come. The band was also known for their ominous aesthetic, which contributed to Ozzy's nickname, "The Prince of Darkness."
Osbourne served as the lead vocalist for Black Sabbath until his dismissal from the band in 1979, when he was replaced by Ronnie James Dio. While Osbourne’s bandmates contended that their reasons for firing him were unreliability and his excessive substance abuse problems, Osbourne claimed his use of drugs and alcohol was on par with the rest of the band at the time.
After Black Sabbath, Osbourne launched a successful solo career. His first seven solo albums went on to earn multi-platinum certifications in the United States. Osbourne recorded the first two LPs with guitarist Randy Rhoads, co-writing the iconic single “Crazy Train” with him. Rhoads tragically died in an airplane accident in 1982 while touring the second album. Osbourne would go on to release a live album in his honor titled Tribute in 1987.
Osbourne returned to Black Sabbath in 1997. The following year, he and his bandmates shared the live album Reunion. Later, in 2006, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. A true reunion studio album, 13, followed in 2013. It became the final release from the band.
Osbourne shared two more solo albums after Black Sabbath’s 13. He released Ordinary Man, in 2020, and Patient Number 9, in 2022. Osbourne was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as a solo act, in 2024.
Osbourne’s career was partly defined by a string of wild incidents. In 1982, he bit the head off a bat during a concert in Iowa (he initially thought it was a rubber toy, and required rabies shots after the show). That same year, he was famously arrested for urinating near the Alamo. He also landed in jail for physical abuse, and, in 1989, was arrested for the attempted murder of his wife, Sharon, who eventually dropped the charges against her husband.
In 1996, he and Sharon founded the touring metal festival Ozzfest. The successful event ran nearly annually until 2018. Later in life, he embarked on a second career as a reality TV star when he and his family launched the MTV reality show The Osbournes in 2002. The show became a cultural phenomenon and spawned successful media careers for Sharon Osbourne and their children Kelly and Jack. It ran for four seasons, concluding in 2005.
Variety reports Osbourne's last concert will be adapted into a film called Back to the Beginning: Ozzy’s Final Bow. It is due out next year. Additionally, Ozzy Osbourne's final memoir, Last Rites, is scheduled for posthumous release on October 7, according to Consequence. The book will delve into his later years, health struggles, and final "Back to the Beginning" concert. It follows his 2009 memoir, I Am Ozzy.
An outpouring of celebrity tributes have come in to honor the British rock royal. Acts such as Elton John, Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Duran Duran, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, Alice Cooper, and more have all paid their respects. Osbourne is survived by his wife Sharon, and six children: Jessica, Louis and Elliot from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, and Aimee, Kelly and Jack from his second marriage to Sharon. He also leaves behind ten grandchildren.
See the Osbourne family's official statement announcing Ozzy's passing below.
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne music at Live365.com.
Rather listen on our app? Download the Live365 app on iOS or Android. Ready to start your own station? Contact one of our Product Consultants or visit our website today. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (Live365 (Official) and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter (@Live365 and @Broadcast365)!
Article Image: Ozzy Osbourne holds a microphone during a 2018 ceremony in Moscow, Russia. (mgfoto via Depositphotos)
