Ozzy Osbourne, the former Black Sabbath frontman and heavy metal legend also known as the Prince of Darkness, has died at 76. “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 confirmed in a July 22 statement to Vulture. “He was with his family and surrounded by love.” The news comes just weeks after Osbourne reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for a July 5 farewell concert in his home city of Birmingham where his daughter Kelly got engaged to Slipknot’s Sid Wilson. “It’s so good to be on this stage,” he said during the performance. “You have no idea.” Osbourne previously announced that he would be retiring from touring in 2023, citing a spinal injury he suffered during a fall in 2019.
Born John Michael Osbourne in 1948, he rose to fame as a founding member of Black Sabbath, the pioneering band behind heavy metal classics such as “Paranoid” and “War Pigs.” He left the group in 1979 and went on to launch a successful, decades-long solo career with a discography that includes more than a dozen albums. Osbourne developed a reputation for energetic, sometimes shocking performances that only solidified after he accidentally bit the head off of a bat during a show in 1982. From 2002 to 2005, he and his family starred in the MTV reality show The Osbournes, which tracked their lives in Los Angeles. He is survived by his wife Sharon and their children Aimee, Kelly and Jack; his daughter Jessica and son Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley; and his grandchildren. The statement announcing Osbourne’s death was signed by Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee, and Louis. “We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” the joint message said.
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