Ozzy Osbourne, the vocalist of heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath, has died. He was 76.
The self-styled Prince of Darkness turned the grim, creeping feeling of late ’60s Birmingham into incredibly influential songs about the occult and the apocalypse. The sludgy and foreboding take on electrified blues music, coupled with sci-fi stories and witch tales, laid the groundwork for decades of hard rock music across nine albums with Black Sabbath.
Osbourne’s last album with Sabbath was more than 20 years in the rearview when he returned to pop culture consciousness in the early aughts. The MTV reality series “The Osbournes” recast the one-time bat-biter as a foul-mouthed and cantankerous middle-aged dad.
His family announced his death on Tuesday, saying that he was “surrounded by love” in his final moments.
“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,” they shared. He was with his family and surrounded by love.”
The legendary lead singer had struggled with Parkinson’s disease for years. He shared in 2020 that the condition made him “miserable,” and he hated being unable to perform.
“Coming from a working-class background, I hate to let people down,” Osbourne told “Good Morning America.” “I hate to not do my job. And so when I see my wife going to work, my kids going to work, everybody’s doing their touring, that gets me down.”
Osbourne’s death comes mere weeks after his final on-stage appearance on July 5. The combination farewell and tribute concert at his hometown stadium of Villa Park was dubbed “Back to the Beginning.” In addition to performances from bands inspired by Osbourne like Slayer and Guns N’ Roses, Osbourne played two sets of solo and Sabbath material while seated on a black throne covered in skulls. He was joined by the original lineup of Black Sabbath for the latter, their first performance together in decades.
“Are you ready? Let the madness begin,” he said from his throne. “It’s so good to be on this stage. You have no idea.”
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