John Michael Osbourne, the heavy metal pioneer, Ozzy Osbourne, has passed away at the age of 76. The news comes barely three weeks after the legendary frontman reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for a significant farewell performance at Villa Park.
The Osbourne family confirmed his death, stating he was "with his family and surrounded by love" at the time of his passing. Just weeks prior, on July 5th, Osbourne addressed 42,000 fans from a stage throne at the "Back To The Beginning" concert, a show featuring acts such as Metallica and Guns N' Roses, curated for his final stage appearance. It marked the first time in two decades that he had performed with Black Sabbath's original lineup: Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.
Tributes have since flooded in from across the music world. Metallica shared a broken heart emoji alongside a photograph of the band with Osbourne. Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones reflected on Osbourne's "lovely goodbye concert," while Black Sabbath's official X account simply posted "Ozzy Forever!" UB40's Ali Campbell praised Osbourne as "The Prince of Darkness," a "true Birmingham legend," and "the undisputed king of heavy metal" who "didn't just shape a culture, you defined it." Sir Elton John described Osbourne as a "huge trailblazer" and a "dear friend" who "secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods."
Born on December 3, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham, Osbourne earned the moniker "godfather of heavy metal." He founded Black Sabbath, a band that released their eponymous debut in 1970, which quickly entered the UK top 10. They went on to sell over 75 million albums worldwide, influencing generations of metal artists.
Osbourne's career was also marked by a successful solo trajectory after his departure from Black Sabbath in 1979, with multi-platinum albums like 'Blizzard of Ozz' (1980) and 'Diary Of A Madman' (1981). Beyond music, he gained widespread recognition through the early 2000s MTV reality series 'The Osbournes', which offered a glimpse into his family life in Los Angeles.
Osbourne had been battling Parkinson's disease and other health issues in recent years, including complications from a 2019 fall. His final Villa Park performance was arranged to provide fans with a definitive farewell, a promise now fulfilled.
