Ozzy Osbourne, the British rocker who pioneered heavy metal with his band Black Sabbath, has died at the age of 76.
“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,” Osbourne’s family said in a statement early on Wednesday AEST.
“He was with his family and surrounded by love.” A cause of death was not disclosed.
Osbourne’s death comes just weeks after Black Sabbath performed a sold-out farewell gig in the English city of Birmingham, where the band was formed.
Osbourne, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, performed while seated on a giant leather throne topped with a bat.
A ‘working class kid from Aston’
John Michael Osbourne was born in 1948 in Warwickshire in the UK. Growing up in Aston, Birmingham he struggled with dyslexia, left school at age 15, did a series of menial jobs, and at one point served a brief prison sentence for burglary. Then came Black Sabbath.
“When I was growing up, if you’d have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of 60, with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and California, I wouldn’t have put money on me. No f-cking way,” he once said.
In 1968, Osbourne joined guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler to form Black Sabbath. They released their debut, self-titled album two years later.
Ozzy Osbourne (right) formed Black Sabbath alongside bandmates Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward. Source: Getty / Chris Walter/WireImage
Its follow-up, Paranoid, also released in 1970, is often cited as one of the most influential metal albums of all time. It contained many of their most well-known songs, including War Pigs, Paranoid and Iron Man.
The band combined hard riffs and dark subject matter – from depression to war to apocalypse – combined with an instinct for Halloween theatrics.
In 1982, Osbourne had an infamous encounter with a bat thrown on stage by a fan. He always insisted he thought it was a toy until he bit into it, realised his mistake and rushed to hospital for a rabies shot.
Osbourne was a regular target for conservative and religious groups concerned about the negative impact of rock music on young people.
He acknowledged the excesses of his lifestyle and lyrics — but poured scorn on the wilder reports that he was an actual devil worshipper.
“I’ve done some bad things in my time. But I ain’t the devil. I’m just John Osbourne: a working-class kid from Aston who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time,” he said in a 2010 biography.
Osbourne married his manager, Sharon Arden, in 1982. Source: Getty / Greg Doherty
In 2002, Osbourne won legions of new fans when he starred in US reality TV show The Osbournes, featuring the singer alongside his family, wife Sharon and two of their children, Kelly and Jack.
In his final concert on 5 July, Osbourne thanked thousands of adoring fans, some of whom were visibly emotional.
Osbourne’s performance followed a number of tributes on stage and on stadium screens from rock and pop royalty including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Metallica’s James Hetfield and Elton John.
“Thanks for your support over the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you,” he said.
