22/07/2025
Ozzy Osbourne Dead at 76, Weeks After Farewell Show
Ozzy Osbourne Dead at 76, Just Weeks After Black Sabbath’s Final Concert
The legendary singer will be remembered for his years fronting Black Sabbath, a successful solo career and his stint as a reality TV star.
"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," his family said in a statement on Tuesday (July 22). "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."
His death comes just weeks after Black Sabbath’s final concert, which took place on July 5 and netted $190 million, making it the highest grossing charity concert of all time.
Osbourne’s abilities as a vocalist – his uniquely sharp timbre and bellowing lung power – gave him the fortitude to cut through even the densest metal songs like a foghorn. Starting with Sabbath in 1970, his voice helped defined what heavy metal became. The image he inaugurated at that time became just as indelible. By voicing Sabbath’s reliably morbid lyrics, clad in the band’s trademark funereal attire, he earned the nickname The Prince of Darkness. The credibility of that image, at times, struck Mr. Osbourne as hilarious. “They all thought I lived in some Bavarian castle and at midnight my bat wings came out and I flew around the battlements,” he told British GQ in 2004.
Arguably the most unexpected turn of his career came in 2002 as Ozzy became a reality TV star. The Osbournes followed Ozzy and his family – wife, Sharon, daughter, Kelly and son, Jack – through the antics of their daily lives. The show was an instant hit for MTV, becoming the most viewed program on the network. Ozzy was introduced to a new generation of fans, while his family launched their own separate careers.
Osbourne's battles with alcohol and illicit drugs – specifically co***ne – were well documented. His substance abuse led to his dismissal from Black Sabbath, less than a decade after their turn-of-the-'70s breakthrough.
Still, there was apparently something about that old black magic. Osbourne eventually reunited several times with Black Sabbath, most notably for 2013's Rubin-helmed 13, which became the group's first-ever U.S. No. 1 album. That marked the end of an era, however: Black Sabbath called it quits after a 2016 tour.
It turned out Osbourne and Black Sabbath were not quite finished, though. On July 5, 2025, they staged the massive Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham, England.
It doubled as Osbourne's final solo show and a reunion of Black Sabbath's original lineup: Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. The foursome had not performed together since 2005. The star-studded lineup also featured performances by Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Pantera and several other rock and metal heavyweights.
Osbourne is survived by his first wife, Thelma Riley, their two children, Jessica and Lewis, and their adopted son Eliot, as well as his second wife Sharon and their children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack.
