Ozzy Osbourne died ‘surrounded by love’ at the age of 76 on Tuesday, a statement from his family said.
The Black Sabbath frontman had performed from a throne on stage at Villa Park in Birmingham less than three weeks ago.
In a statement, 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. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.’
The star was a titan of music who somehow survived controversies that would end the careers of many others, and weathered health problems that would leave most of us on our backs.
Whether it was biting the head off both a bat and a dove, snorting a line of ants or urinating on a US war memorial while wearing one of his wife Sharon’s dresses, Osbourne was defined by his antics both on and off stage.
The singer, who sold more than 100 million records, will forever be synonymous with the heavy metal band he formed in his home city of Birmingham in 1969.
With hits that included Iron Man, War Pigs and Paranoid, Black Sabbath’s pushing of occult themes proved both hugely popular and controversial, with a future pope even condemning Osbourne for his ‘subliminal satanic influence’.
His career was full of highs but in the last two decades, the singer had been surviving private battles.
Osbourne had undergone seven surgeries in the past five years, including a fourth spinal operation in September 2023, and has been privately battling Parkinson’s disease since 2003.
But just three weeks ago he took to the stage at Birmingham’s Villa Park Stadium, reuniting with his Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for their first performance in their original line-up since 2005 – and their final ever show as a band.
During the performance, a message on a screen read: ‘Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,’ before the sky lit up with fireworks.
He appeared overwhelmed with emotional at one point as he thanked the crowd for their steadfast support during his five decades in music.
‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart,’ he gushed after finishing Suicide Solution.
