Ozzy Osbourne dies – Music News
Rock music icon Ozzy Osbourne has died.
On Tuesday evening, a representative for the Osbourne family announced that the Black Sabbath frontman had passed away at the age of 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,” the statement reads. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
The sad news comes just two weeks after Ozzy performed his last-ever show at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
Over 40,000 fans attended the gig, with the British star remaining seated for the duration of the four-song set.
Drummer Bill Ward, guitarist Tony Iommi, and bassist Geezer Butler joined Ozzy on the revolving stage.
And last week, representatives for the artist confirmed that he had written a memoir titled Last Rites.
According to the press release, the book is due to be published on 7 October and will tell the “shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Osbourne’s descent into hell”.
Born John Michael Osbourne in 1948, Ozzy helped pioneer heavy metal music with the formation of Black Sabbath in 1968.
In addition to his music career, the Paranoid hitmaker found success with the Ozzfest festival in the ’90s and as one of the stars of reality TV show, The Osbournes.
The programme, which also featured his wife Sharon Osbourne and children Jack and Kelly Osbourne, ran for four seasons from 2002 until 2005.
Ozzy and Sharon, who wed in 1982, are also parents to daughter Aimee, while the rocker had three older children from his first marriage to Thelma Riley.
The Iron Man singer had long been open about his struggles with substance abuse over the years, and in January 2020, he publicly revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease the previous year.
