Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of heavy metal band Black Sabbath and a reality TV trailblazer, has died after years of battling health problems and a recent goodbye performance. He was 76.
The Associated Press confirmed Osbourne’s death on Tuesday, July 22, and obtained a statement from the rocker star’s family.
“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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” the statement read.
Osbourne’s death came shortly after he performed in his native England this month in what Black Sabbath described on its website as the rocker’s goodbye show or “final bow.”
Related: Sharon Osbourne Feels ‘Betrayed’ by Staffers at ‘The Talk’
The musician suffered a string of health problems and had recently been confined to a wheelchair.
In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson’s disease. His wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, sat down for an interview with The Sun in February of this year and said Ozzy could no longer walk.
“Parkinson’s is a progressive disease. It’s not something you can stabilise. It affects different parts of the body and it’s affected his legs,” she explained.
Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Marston Green, Warwickshire, England on Dec. 3, 1948.
He formed Black Sabbath with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward to avoid a future of factory work, according to the group’s website. They recorded their self-titled debut album in 1969. Over the years, the group took home two Grammy Awards, per Grammy.com.
Ozzy was known for his wild on-stage personae, along with alcohol and substance abuse.
Black Sabbath fired the hard-partying Osbourne in 1979, for showing up late to rehearsals and missing gigs, the AP reported.
Still, he went on to a successful solo career. He launched the annual Ozzfest tour, and led the cast of MTV’s The Osbournes.
The American reality show featured his family — wife Sharon, their daughter Kelly, and their son Jack. The pioneering series aired from 2002 to 2005, long before other family-oriented reality shows. At the time it was said to be the most-watched program on MTV.
The series introduced the British family to a new audience and opened the door for all of them to launch successful careers stateside, with Sharon becoming one of the original co-hosts of CBS daytime chat show The Talk, which aired from 2010 to 2024.
Kelly became an on-air personality at the E! network, and Jack became an actor, producer and TV host. The Osbournes’ other daughter Aimee declined to appear on the show and has remained mostly out of the spotlight.
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