OZZY Osbourne’s family have released a touching statement as they mourn the death of the rock icon “with more sadness than mere words can convey”.
The Black Sabbath star’s death, aged 76, comes just weeks after he took to the stage one final time with his band mates at Villa Park in Birmingham.
Paying tribute to their “beloved” Ozzy, his family said the music legend was “surrounded by love” when he passed away this morning.
They expressed their deep sorrow, stating, “It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Ozzy Osbourne this morning.”
“He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.
“Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.”
Remembering the rock icon, Black Sabbath posted: “Ozzy Forever!”
LAUNCHING INTO MUSIC
Ozzy, originally named John Michael Osbourne, was born in Birmingham in 1948. He left school at the age of 15 and took on various jobs, including work as a laborer, plumber, and even at an abattoir.
But Ozzy became entangled with petty crime and served two months in prison for burglary.
The singer then pursued his love of music after hearing The Beatles hit She Loves You in 1963.
Ozzy joined Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler to form their first band, Rare Breed in 1967.
When that band split, the pair reunited in Polka Tulk Blues alongside Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward.
The band’s name was later changed to Black Sabbath before going onto rock the music world with Ozzy’s vocals and shattering guitar solos.
WORLDWIDE SUCCESS
It wasn’t long before the band gained international stardom.
In 1970, the group gained a cult following in both the US and UK after releasing their eponymous first album.
Black Sabbath saw incredible success with hit tracks such as Paranoid but discord in the group saw most of the original line-up leave.
Ozzy himself quit the band in 1978, with a spiral into drug abuse leading to a divorce from first wife Thelma Mayfair, who he had two children with.
It was then he first met a young Sharon Arden, who Ozzy at first wrote off as he believed she would think he was a “lunatic”.
However, contrary to what might have been expected, he and his partner married in Hawaii in July 1982. Together, they went on to have three children: Aimee, Kelly, and Jack.
With help from his adoring wife Sharon and her music manager dad he launched as a solo artist.
His seminal first album Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 became a multi-platinum success thanks to Ozzy’s howling vocals and macabre laugh on hit Crazy Train.
Coupled with the Prince of Darkness’ insane tour that saw him bite the head off a live bat, a string of successful tracks followed – cementing Ozzy as a rock legend around the world.
After announcing his retirement in 1992, the growing rock legend returned to Black Sabbath after a seven year hiatus during which time he created the popular music festival Ozzfest.
Just a year after his return to the group, Black Sabbath won a Grammy for the son Iron Man.
TV FAME
In 2001, Ozzy was filmed for a reality TV show about him and his family called The Osbournes.
The show became an overnight success and became MTV’s most-watched show ever.
Wife Sharon and children, Jack and Kelly, were all thrown into the spotlight with the latter later launching music careers themselves.
With the family’s success growing, they hosted the 30th Annual American Music Awards and later the BRIT Awards in London.
The hugely popular show ran until 2005 and portrayed heartbreaking moments for the family – including Sharon’s battle with cancer and the quad bike accident that nearly killed Ozzy.
The family later starred in the reality series The Osbournes Want to Believe and special The Osbournes: Night of Terror, which both focused on paranormal investigations.
In 2006, Ozzy and the rest of Black Sabbath were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
A year later, the star released his first solo studio album in six years, Black Rain followed by Scream in 2010 and Ordinary Man in 2020.
HEALTH BATTLE
Ozzy won another Grammy for Patient Number 9 in 2022 and single Degradation Rules, which featured Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.
But following a spate of nasty injuries, Ozzy was forced to cancel his upcoming tour after revealing he was “not physically capable” of the travel required.
He was later pictured looking frail as he walked in New York with the aid of a stick.
Ozzy suffered a spinal injury after an accident at his LA home in 2019 that required him to undergo surgery on his neck.
He was sadly diagnosed with Parkinson’s the same year and revealed the sad news a year later in an emotional joint interview with Sharon.
The singer told Good Morning America at the time that he couldn’t hide his health struggles any longer.
Explaining the condition, Sharon said: “It’s Parkin 2 which is a form of Parkinson’s. There are so many different types of Parkinson’s.
“It’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination but it does affect the nerves in your body.
“It’s like you’ll have a good day, then a good day and then a really bad day.”
Ozzy added: “A year ago I was in a terrible state. I’m on a host of medication, mainly for the surgery.
“I’ve got numbness down this arm and my legs are going cold. I don’t know if it’s the Parkinson’s or what. That’s the problem.”
Parkin 2 cannot be cured, but treatments are available to minimise symptoms — although it is steadily degenerative.
Experts say the variety Ozzy had is one of the slowest developing types — but the long-term prognosis varies significantly between cases.
FINAL GIG
Not content with being laid up in bed, Ozzy wowed fans with a surprise performance of Paranoid in his hometown Birmingham at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
And this year, he took to the stage for Black Sabbath’s final-ever concert on July 5.
Ozzy arrived on stage at Villa Park in Birmingham dressed in his trademark black, sitting on a bat throne for the historic gig.
The crowd were delighted to see the iconic rocker back on stage, and kept chanting his name.
Ozzy was equally thrilled to be performing, and repeatedly broke out into a massive grin.
It was the first time in 20 years that the original Black Sabbath line-up have performed together.
The Sun was there to witness the final show-stopping spectacular.
Meanwhile his daughter Kelly revealed that she is engaged to her boyfriend Sid Wilson.
She shared a video of the moment Sid popped the question backstage at her father’s final ever Black Sabbath gig.
It came after Ozzy told how much he misses being on tour and insisted he has not given up yet.
Reflecting on how supportive his fans have been since the announcement, he said in February: “My fans. That’s the thing that I really miss about not doing gigs.
“I’m a hands-on guy. I like talking to my fans. I miss them terribly. My goal is to get back on stage as soon as possible.”
