Ozzy Osbourne has died at 76, weeks after Black Sabbath’s farewell show. Explore his life, music, and the legacy of the man who shaped heavy metal
The world of rock music is reeling from the loss of one of its most iconic figures. Ozzy Osbourne, the man who brought darkness to life and turned heavy metal into a cultural phenomenon, has passed away at the age of 76. His family confirmed the heartbreaking news in an emotional statement released from their home in Birmingham. “With grief beyond words, we announce that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne left us this morning, surrounded by his family and immersed in love until the very end. We kindly ask for privacy during this profoundly difficult time,” the statement read.
The announcement comes just weeks after the legendary Black Sabbath performed their final show on July 5, an emotional farewell that raised $190 million for charity and seemed like the perfect curtain call for the man known as the Prince of Darkness. Few could have imagined that this would also be Ozzy’s last goodbye.
John Michael Osbourne was born on December 3, 1948, in the working-class neighborhood of Aston in Birmingham, England. The fourth of six children, Ozzy grew up in poverty, grappling with dyslexia and low self-esteem. Music became his sanctuary. He often recalled the moment he first heard The Beatles’ “She Loves You” and realized he wanted to make music for the rest of his life. Dropping out of school at 15, he worked odd jobs as a construction laborer, plumber, and slaughterhouse worker. His teenage years were marked by brushes with the law, including a six-week stint in Winson Green prison after his father refused to pay his bail.
Ozzy’s life took a pivotal turn when his father bought him a microphone, setting him on a path toward musical destiny. In the late 1960s, he joined forces with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward to form a band called Earth, soon to be renamed Black Sabbath. Their ambition to merge the ominous atmosphere of horror films with the raw power of rock led to the birth of heavy metal as we know it. Their debut album was groundbreaking, but it was 1970’s Paranoid that solidified their status, with anthems like “Iron Man” and “Paranoid” inspiring generations of musicians and fans alike.
Ozzy’s piercing voice and electric stage presence made him the ultimate frontman. The moniker “Prince of Darkness” became synonymous with his theatricality and the macabre imagery of Black Sabbath’s music. He once joked to British GQ in 2004, “They thought I lived in a castle in Bavaria and grew bat wings at midnight.”
His personal life, however, was as chaotic as his stage persona. Ozzy struggled with substance abuse for decades, becoming infamous for wild antics such as biting the head off a dove during a meeting with record executives and repeating the act on a bat thrown on stage at a concert. It was Sharon Arden, daughter of his manager Don Arden and later his wife, who became his anchor during his darkest times. Sharon encouraged him to pursue a solo career after being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, leading to a triumphant rebirth. His first solo album, Blizzard of Ozz (1980), featuring hits like “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley,” cemented his place as a heavy metal icon in his own right.
Ozzy’s solo career flourished over the decades with multiple platinum albums and the creation of Ozzfest, one of the most successful heavy metal festivals in history. Despite his notorious past, Ozzy reinvented himself in the early 2000s as a reality TV star with MTV’s The Osbournes, offering fans an intimate look at his chaotic yet endearing family life. His candidness and humor on the show won him a new audience and showed a softer side to the man who once terrified parents worldwide. “I’m just a crazy comedian. It’s all for fun,” he would say.
The 2010s saw Ozzy reunite with Black Sabbath, culminating in the 2013 album 13, which debuted at No. 1 in both the US and UK. His final solo album, Patient Number 9 (2019), brought him critical acclaim and introduced him to a younger generation of fans. His last performance on July 5, 2025, in Birmingham was a poignant homecoming. Surrounded by his bandmates and an audience of devoted fans, Ozzy gave his all one final time.
Ozzy leaves behind his wife Sharon, their children Aimee, Kelly, and Jack, and three children from his first marriage. His legacy is one of resilience, reinvention, and an indelible impact on music. He taught the world that even those who dwell in darkness can find the light.
Fans around the world continue to flood social media with tributes, sharing memories and stories of how Ozzy’s music shaped their lives. From stadium anthems to intimate family moments, the Prince of Darkness leaves behind a cultural legacy that will endure long after the lights go down.
As one fan poignantly tweeted, “Ozzy didn’t just give us music. He gave us permission to embrace our weirdness and find power in it.” And perhaps that’s the greatest legacy of all.
