Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary singer for Black Sabbath and heavy metal pioneer, died on Tuesday (July 22) at the age of 76. Osbourne’s family released a statement confirming his death: “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.”
Osbourne passed away just weeks after the historic Back to the Beginning farewell concert in his hometown of Birmingham, England, where the Prince of Darkness took part in what was billed as his final performance as well as the reunion of Black Sabbath’s original four members for the first time in twenty years. The event went on to become the biggest grossing benefit concert of all time, raising nearly $200 million for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice, and Cure Parkinson’s — a disease Osbourne had lived with since 2019.
Ozzy had an impactful career in both music and entertainment, essentially creating heavy metal with Black Sabbath, while redefining hard rock throughout his successful solo career, and eventually bringing metal to the masses with his memorable Ozzfest tours. He even became a beloved reality TV star in the early-2000s with the Emmy-winning show, The Osbournes, alongside his wife and manager, Sharon, and their kids. Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and Ozzy won a total of four Grammys, including Sabbath’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, while nearly all of his albums have been certified gold or platinum. “My life has just been unbelievable,” Osbourne once famously said to Rolling Stone. “You couldn’t write my story; you couldn’t invent me.” (Rolling Stone)
