Ozzy Osbourne has died ‘surrounded by love’ at the age of 76, a statement from his family said.
The Black Sabbath frontman performed from a throne on stage at Villa Park in Birmingham less than three weeks ago.
In a statement, his family said on Tuesday night: ‘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 rocker was able to bid an emotional farewell to his fans on stage this month as he reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005.
‘You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart,’ Osbourne told the crowd in his final speech.
The music legend vowed, however, that it would be his final ever performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson’s in 2020.
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’.
Osbourne’s most infamous moment came when he bit the head off a bat that had been thrown on stage during a solo performance. He later claimed he thought it was made of rubber.
Tributes have been pouring in for the superstar following his family’s announcement on Tuesday evening.
Elton John wrote: ‘So sad to hear the news of Ozzy Osbourne passing away. He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend. He was also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love.’
David Coverdale, founder and lead singer of rock band Whitesnake – who was reportedly once considered for the role of Black Sabbath frontman – paid his respects on X. ‘My Sincere Condolences To Sharon, The Family, Friends & Fans,’ he wrote.
Sir Rod Stewart also shared a moving tribute. In a statement, the Maggie May star said: ‘Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I’ll see you up there – later rather than sooner,’ before signing off ‘Sir Rod Stewart.’
American heavy metal band Metallica shared a heartwarming photograph taken with Osbourne, alongside a broken heart emoji.
English rock musician Ronnie Wood was also quick to pay his respects, writing: ‘I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne. What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham.’
X Factor duo Jedward wrote on X: ‘Rip Ozzy Osbourne, sending love to Sharon and Kelly and Jack and the whole family ♥️.’
John Lennon’s son Sean Ono Lennon penned on social media: ‘One of the greatest of all time. R.I.P.’
TV presenter and comedian Leigh Francis published a touching message on Instagram alongside a photo of himself, Osbourne and his wife Sharon. ‘The saddest news this evening. All the Osbourne family have always been so kind to me. The loveliest people,’ he wrote.
American rapper Ice-T credited an entire music genre to Osbourne and his band, writing on X: ‘RIP Ozzy. Right after the recent huge Black Sabbath final concert. Sad. In my opinion the Creators of Heavy Metal.’
Musician Gene Simmons added: ‘Sad to report Ozzy has passed away. He was a giant. Admired and loved by millions of fans worldwide. Prayers and condolences go out to the Osbourne family.’
Piers Morgan posted a photo of himself with Osbourne and Sharon, alongside the caption: ‘RIP Ozzy Osbourne. One of the greatest rock stars in history, and a wonderful character. Truly one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. I once asked him what was the best moment of his life and he replied instantly: ‘Meeting Sharon.’ My heart breaks for her.’
Osbourne forged a hugely successful solo career after being thrown out of his band in 1979 due to his drug-fuelled antics, with hits that included Crazy Train and Hellraiser.
But his hellraising off stage continued. In 1989 he attempted to kill Sharon while high on drugs, and seven years before that he urinated on the treasured Alamo Cenotaph in Texas, an act that saw him banned from San Antonio for a decade.
He was also injured in a quad bike crash at his UK home in 2003, an episode that had a serious impact on his fragile health.
Yet there was also redemption for the troubled singer, who relaunched himself as a reality tv star in The Osbournes in the early 2000s, after getting clean from drink and drugs with the help of Sharon.
It saw two of his and Sharon’s children, Kelly and Jack, become stars in their own right, whilst their other daughter Aimee declined to appear.
There was a return too to Black Sabbath in 1997, when the original line-up got back together. Five years later, he and Iommi were an unlikely part of the star-studded lineup at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, where they performed Paranoid.
Osbourne’s final performance with Black Sabbath came in 2025, when he reunited with his bandmates for a final gig at Aston Villa’s Villa Park stadium in Birmingham.
Having then suffered from Parkinson’s disease for more than five years, he was seated for much of the farewell performance.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, the singer was raised by his parents Lilian and John with three older sisters and two younger brothers in a small two-bedroom home in Birmingham.
The family of eight grew up poor and Ozzy said it was difficult because his parents were always fighting about money.
Their strained marriage meant Ozzy did not speak to his parents after he was repeatedly sexually abused, aged 11, by two bullies.
He said in a later interview: ‘I was afraid to tell my father or mother and it completely f***ed me up. Dirty little secrets fester and that is one of the first things I said to my kids.’
Aged 14, Osbourne tried to hang himself and was only saved by his father.
He was a persistent truant from school and suffered from both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, whilst his violent streak made an early appearance when he once attacked a teacher with an iron bar.
The only subject that caught his attention at school was music and he performed in several productions of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.
Osbourne left education at 15 and found work as a labourer and abattoir worker. He admitted later that he ‘loved killing animals’.
However, Osbourne then turned to petty crime. After stealing a television and baby clothes just before his 18th birthday, he was arrested and spent six weeks behind bars because his father refused to pay his £40 fine.
It was while in prison that Osbourne gave himself his first tattoo: ‘OZZY’ in capital letters on the knuckles of his left hand.
He formed his first band, Rare Breed, at 19 with bassist Geezer Butler.
When the pair fell out with their bandmates, they joined Iommi and Ward to set up Black Sabbath in 1968, which was first named Earth.
They renamed the band in 1969 in tribute to their favourite horror film. The move set Osbourne, Iommi and Ward on the path to heavy metal royalty.
The group quickly established a reputation for dabbling with satanic and occult themes. One early critic wrote: ‘His baroque prophesies of doom were uttered against a background of a uniquely heavy guitar sound.’
Their first album, which was simply called Black Sabbath, opened with the sound of a tolling church bell and featured the lyrics: ‘Leave the Earth to Satan and his slaves’.
It was this dark theme that prompted the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – who went on to become the Pope – to condemn the self-styled Prince of Darkness for his ‘subliminal satanic influence’ and urge him to stop performing ‘satanic rituals’ at concerts because they could ‘bring harm’ to audiences.
Black Sabbath’s second album, Paranoid, featured some of their biggest commercial hits, including Iron Man, War Pigs and the title track.
The band continued their success with five consecutive platinum-selling albums in the US in three years.
Black Sabbath’s impact on music itself was enormous. They brought a heavy metal genre that had been in its infancy when they began to the attention of millions of fans.
Their influence was so wide-ranging that critics have even argued that individual songs – such as 1970’s Electric Funeral and 1971 hit Children of the Grave – helped to form sub-genres of metal.
This was despite the fact that guitarist Iommi had – years before Black Sabbath was formed – lost two of his fingertips in an accident at the sheet metal factory where he worked.
It meant that he had to compensate by wearing plastic fingertips and slackening the strings of his instrument.
But Iommi turned that trauma to his advantage by producing a distinctive sound that ran through the band’s songs.
Speaking in a 2005 interview, fellow heavy metal musician Rob Zombie outlined the band’s impact.
‘Every cool riff has already been written by Black Sabbath. Anything everyone else does is just basically ripping it off. Either you’re playing it slightly different or fast or slow, but… they did everything already,’ he said.
