Ozzy Osbourne, the famous heavy metal vocalist, former lead singer of Black Sabbath, and, later in life, a reality star, died on Tuesday.
His family announced his death in a post on the late musician’s social media accounts. The pioneer of heavy metal music was 76.
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“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,” read the statement from the singer’s family posted to his X account. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
The statement was signed by his wife Sharon Osbourne, children Kelly, Jack, Aimee, and his son Louis from a previous marriage.
The son of a tool maker and a factory worker, John Michael Osbourne was born in Birmingham, England, on Dec. 3, 1948. He enjoyed enormous success in the 1970s as the vocalist for the rock band Black Sabbath. He was known for his onstage antics as a performer, including when he bit the head off of a live bat during a performance in Iowa in 1982.
In the 2000s, after his rock career slowed, Osbourne turned to television, specifically reality television. In one of the earliest hits of the reality genre, the former rock singer starred in the show The Osbournes. The show focused on his life as the patriarch of the Osbourne family. It was a massive hit for MTV and aired from 2002 to 2005 on the network.
As a rock star in the 1970s and 1980s, Osbourne was an avid drug user and alcohol drinker. He chronicled his abuse in the 2010 autobiography I Am Ozzy. In his later years, Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, revealing it to the public in 2020. In 2020, the singer also disclosed he had emphysema.
In 2022, Osbourne had a series of spinal surgeries during which a vertebral tumor was discovered. He described the ordeal in an interview with Rolling Stone UK.
“It’s really knocked me about,” Osbourne said. “The second surgery went drastically wrong and virtually left me crippled. I thought I’d be up and running after the second and third, but with the last one they put a f****** rod in my spine. They found a tumor in one of the vertebrae, so they had to dig all that out too. It’s pretty rough, man, and my balance is all f***** up.”
During his recovery in 2022, the heavy metal singer acknowledged his deteriorating health but hoped to perform one final show.
“At best, I’ve got ten years left and when you’re older, time picks up speed,” Osbourne said after the surgeries.
“I never got the chance to say goodbye or thank you,” said Osbourne. “Because my fans are what it’s all about. If I can just do a few gigs.”
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“They’ve been loyal to me for f****** years,” he added. “They write to me, they know all about my dogs. It’s my extended family really, and they give us the lifestyle we have. For whatever reason, that’s my goal to work to. To do those shows.”
Osbourne received his wish. During his career, the English musician was known as “the Godfather of Heavy Metal” and “Prince of Darkness.” He died seventeen days after his final performance in Birmingham, England, where his career began in 1968.