Legendary Black Sabbath Frontman Ozzy Osbourne Passes Away at 76

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Legendary British rocker Ozzy Osbourne, a pivotal figure in heavy metal and frontman of Black Sabbath, has died at 76.

“It is with heavier hearts than words can describe that we must announce the passing of our cherished Ozzy Osbourne this morning,” Osbourne’s family announced in a statement early Wednesday AEST.

“He was surrounded by family and enveloped in love.” The cause of death has not been revealed.

Osbourne’s passing follows a few weeks after Black Sabbath’s sold-out farewell performance in Birmingham, the band’s birthplace.

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, Osbourne performed seated on a large leather throne adorned with a bat during the concert.

A ‘working class kid from Aston’

John Michael Osbourne was born in 1948 in Warwickshire in the UK. Growing up in Aston, Birmingham 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 f—ing way,” he once said.

In 1968, Osbourne joined guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler to form Black Sabbath. They released their debut, self-titled album two years later.

Their next album, Paranoid, also released in 1970, is frequently regarded as a cornerstone in metal music. It included several of their most iconic tracks like War Pigs, Paranoid, and Iron Man.

Ozzy Osbourne (right) formed Black Sabbath alongside bandmates Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward. Source: Getty / Chris Walter/WireImage

He released six more albums with the band, including the acclaimed Master of Reality in 1971 and Vol 4 in 1972, before being fired in 1979.

He would reunite with the group on numerous occasions, and in 2013, they released their final album 13 — the first Black Sabbath studio album to feature Osbourne since 1978.

During their time as a band, they combined hard riffs and dark subject matter — from depression to war to apocalypse — combined with an instinct for Halloween theatrics.

In 1982, Osbourne had a notorious incident with a bat thrown on stage by a fan. He always claimed he believed it was a toy until he bit it, realised the mistake, and hurried to the hospital for a rabies shot.

Ozzy Osbourne performing in 2022. Source: Getty / Harry How

The band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, along with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Osbourne was a regular target for conservative and religious groups concerned about the negative impact of rock music on young people.

He 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.

In 2002, Osbourne won legions of new fans when he starred in US reality TV show The Osbournes, featuring the singer alongside his family, wife Sharon and two of their children, Kelly and Jack.

Osbourne married his manager, Sharon Arden, in 1982. Source: Getty / Greg Doherty

In his final concert on 5 July, Osbourne thanked thousands of adoring fans, some of whom were visibly emotional.

Osbourne’s performance followed a number of tributes on stage and on stadium screens from rock and pop royalty including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Metallica’s James Hetfield and Elton John.

“Thanks for your support over the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you,” he said.

Osbourne’s Black Sabbath bandmates led a wave of tributes to the singer after news of his death emerged.

“It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him,” Iommi said in a post on social media. “Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother.”

“So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston,” Butler wrote in his own post, while Ward said Osbourne was “forever in my heart”.