Ozzy Osbourne, godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76

Famed rock and roller and reality TV star Ozzy Osbourne has died. He was 76.

Osbourne's death comes on the heels of performing a farewell concert with his Black Sabbath bandmates.

What they're saying:

"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," a family statement said. 

He is survived by Sharon, and his children.

Becoming the godfather of heavy metal

Born John Michael Osbourne on Dec. 3, 1948, in Birmingham, England, Osbourne would go on to be one of the most prolific musicians in recorded history.

Once he left school, Osbourne held odd jobs before finding his way into music which would eventually lead him to form the band Black Sabbath and subsequently be nicknamed the godfather of heavy metal, according to IMDB.

The "Prince of Darkness" rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer for the band, scoring iconic hits such as "War Pigs," "Iron Man," "Paranoid" and many more. But after a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship with the band, Osbourne would officially leave the group in 1978. He ventured out on his own to become a solo artist in the 1980s.

Even as a solo artist, Osbourne was wildly successful. He produced over a dozen albums, many of which went multi-platinum, according to Rockcelebrities.net.

Osbourne would eventually team back up with his old bandmates on several occasions in the late 90s and early 2000s. Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and the band is still credited to this day as creating heavy metal.

Bats, addiction and sobriety

Dig deeper:

Despite living a busy lifestyle, Osbourne managed to settle down and marry twice — once to Thelma Mayfair, with whom he had two biological children and one adopted child. His second marriage was to Sharon Osbourne, with whom he has three children.

Sharon was the daughter of Osbourne’s then manager, Don Arden, when they met. After leaving Black Sabbath in 1978, Sharon would become Osbourne’s manager before they started dating and eventually got married.

The Osbournes would become a household name in the early 2000s when MTV shined a light into their lives as famous stars — and the children of rock royalty — with an unscripted show about the family. The series premiered in 2002 and ran for four seasons, with a final curtain call in 2005.

In 2016, Osbourne and his wife Sharon would briefly split after 33 years of marriage after reports surfaced that he had been unfaithful. However, they reconciled in September of that year.

Throughout his life, Osbourne became infamous for numerous controversies including struggles with addiction, infidelity and a lawsuit that was thrown his way by the parents of a fan who allegedly committed suicide while listening to one of his songs.

Additionally, one of his most memorable stage performances involved biting the head off a dead (but real) bat. Osbourne capitalized on that moment in 2022 and made plush bat dolls with removable heads available on his online store, as well as jumping on the NFT bandwagon with CryptoBat.

After years of drug and alcohol abuse, Osborne was finally able to get sober for nearly a decade, according to an interview with Classic Rock magazine in May 2022.

"I take it one day at a time. If I drink, I’ll drink. But I don’t want to drink today. I don’t want to smoke tobacco today. I don’t want to take drugs today. So today’s going to be okay, I suppose. I don’t know about tomorrow," Osborne said.

Ozzy’s later life and farewell concert

The backstory:

Osbourne began to suffer a number of ailments as he aged, including Parkinson’s disease, which he revealed in 2020. The then-71-year-old rock star revealed he received his diagnosis in 2019 during a "Good Morning America" interview alongside his wife, and said that it was the "most painful, miserable year" of his life.\The singer also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and had been diagnosed with COVID-19 in April 2022.

"I am very worried about Ozzy right now," Sharon said tearfully on "The Talk UK" she began hosting just three days before sharing the news of her husband's diagnosis. "We've gone two years without him catching COVID and it's just Ozzy's luck he would get it now."

In June 2022, Osbourne underwent a major operation for an unknown reason but his wife said it was going to "determine the rest of his life."

A report had surfaced stating that the procedure was to remove and realign pins in his neck and back. "Ozzy is 73 and any kind of surgery when you get older is difficult," a source told Page Six. "This is quite major. He’s having the pins in his neck and back realigned from when he had a fall back in 2019."

Osbourne's back problems likely stem from the all-terrain vehicle collision in 2003 where he flipped his quad while riding around his property in London.

At the time, he had to undergo emergency surgery for "a broken collarbone, eight fractured ribs that were pinching crucial blood vessels and damaged vertebrae in his neck."

In the middle of recovering from his surgery, Osbourne managed to release his latest album titled "Patient Number 9," which was released in September 2022.

RELATED: Ozzy Osbourne reveals spinal tumor, gives Parkinson's disease update: 'At best, I've got 10 years left'

In November 2023, Osbourne revealed he was diagnosed with a spinal tumor, but remained hopeful that despite his continued ailments, he would once again be able to perform so he could get a chance to say goodbye to his fans.

In July 2025, Osbourne, along with his Black Sabbath bandmates, gave a final concert to some 40,000 fans at Villa Park soccer stadium in Birmingham, central England.

Osbourne sang from a black throne that rose up from under the stage.

"I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel — thank you from the bottom of my heart," Osbourne said. "You’re all … special. Let’s go crazy, come on."

Stars react to Ozzy's death 

Celebrities shared their reactions to Osbourne's death on Tuesday, regaling memories of listening to the legendary rocker's iconic songs, seeing his wild antics, and crediting him with their inspiration to pursue music.

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