Ozzy Osbourne, beloved Black Sabbath frontman once known as "The Prince of Darkness," and a pioneer of heavy metal music and later of new-millennium reality TV, has died. He was 76.
His family announced his death in a personal statement that read: "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 is survived by his wife of 43 years, Sharon Osbourne, and his children, Jack, Kelly, Aimee, Jessica, Louis, and Elliot. He shared Jessica and Louis with his ex-wife Thelma Riley, and he adopted her son Elliot from a previous relationship.
© Getty ImagesThe family's statement continued: "He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time."
Osbourne's death comes on the heels of his farewell performance with the original Black Sabbath lineup, the first weekend of July, the first time they reunited in 20 years.
"It's so good to be on this [expletive] stage, you have no idea," he told the crowd of 42,000, per Variety, at the time, adding: "Let the madness begin!"
© Getty ImagesHis passing also comes over five years after he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2003. His wife Sharon, speaking with The Sun earlier this year about her husband's condition, had said of his highly-anticipated return to the stage: "He's very happy to be coming back and very emotional about this."
"Parkinson's is a progressive disease. It's not something you can stabilize. It affects different parts of the body and it's affected his legs," she further shared of his diagnosis, before maintaining: "But his voice is as good as it's ever been."
© Michael Ochs ArchivesHis daughter Kelly, who got engaged to Slipknot musician Sid Wilson after her late father's farewell show, spoke exclusively with HELLO! in June about spending more time at home with Osbourne while she was pregnant with her first son back in 2022. "Honestly, he was amazing. He used to say, 'You look like a house,'" she joked. "My mum had to tell him to stop saying how big I was. I was 220lbs and on my small frame, I literally couldn't walk through a doorway. I had gestational diabetes and was so over being pregnant by the time it was done."
© Getty Images1. Meeting Sharon
Ozzy first met Sharon in 1970 when she was 18 years old and her father was managing his band, Black Sabbath. However, their romantic relationship didn't start until years later when Sharon took over managing Ozzy's career.
2. His first tattoo
His famous 'OZZY' tattoo on the knuckle of his left hand was done by himself.
3. Bat incident
In 1982, Ozzy bit the head off a bat while onstage. He later claimed he thought the animal was a rubber toy thrown to him by the crowd and never intended to hurt it.
4. Driver's license
Ozzy got his driver's license later in life when he was 60 years old. He had to take the test around 19 times to actually pass.
5. Taunting nickname
His nickname ''Ozzy'' was actually a taunt by his school friends growing up before it became his stage name.
"My dad is not the way he used to be, since the Parkinson's and surgeries and everything that happened," she noted. "So I dedicate my life to spending as much time with him as I possibly can. He's also, like, my best friend."
© InstagramOsbourne was born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948 in Warwickshire to mother Lilian Unitt, who worked at the Lucas Automotive factory, and father John Thomas "Jack" Osbourne, who worked as a toolmaker at the General Electric Company.
In 1968, he became the founding member of Black Sabbath, a seminal band in the evolution of heavy metal music in the 1970s, which as of 2013 had sold over 70 million records worldwide.
