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The world of music has lost one of its true icons. Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary frontman of Black Sabbath and the self-styled “Prince of Darkness,” has died peacefully at his home in Birmingham, surrounded by his family. He was 76.
Born John Michael Osbourne in Marston Green, Birmingham, in 1946, Ozzy’s name became synonymous with heavy metal. As the founding frontman of Black Sabbath, he helped invent and define the genre, steering the band to worldwide fame with seminal albums like Paranoid, Master of Reality, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Together, they sold over 100 million records, while Ozzy’s own solo career, launched after his departure from the band in 1979, added millions more, with hits like Crazy Train, Bark at the Moon, and No More Tears.
From Birmingham to Buckingham Palace
Black Sabbath’s early success brought Ozzy to the attention of music manager Don Arden. That meeting would change his life in more ways than one, as Ozzy later married Arden’s daughter, Sharon, on 4th July 1982, deliberately choosing US Independence Day so he’d never forget the date.
While his career was full of milestones, it was also marred by controversy. From biting the head off a bat on stage (which he later claimed he thought was rubber) to urinating on the Alamo Cenotaph in Texas, a decade-long ban from San Antonio, Ozzy became as infamous for his antics as for his music.
Ozzy Osbourne pictured in Los Angeles in December 1981 - Credit: AP
Yet his resilience and raw talent always shone through. After being fired from Sabbath for his increasingly chaotic behaviour, he bounced back with a solo career that cemented his status as one of rock’s greatest. His personal life also found stability as he cleaned up his addictions with Sharon’s help, and together they became unlikely reality TV stars in the early 2000s with The Osbournes. The hit MTV series gave the world an inside look at the family home and turned children Kelly and Jack into household names, while eldest daughter Aimee chose to stay out of the spotlight.
Final curtain call
Ozzy reunited with the original Black Sabbath line-up in 1997, culminating in a memorable performance at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace in 2002. His final concert came in 2025 at Villa Park in Birmingham, where he performed seated due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s diseas, a diagnosis he lived with courageously for over five years.
Ozzy Osbourne on stage at his farewell Villa Park concert in July - Credit: Ross Halfin
A legend remembered
Tributes have poured in from across the music world and beyond.
Elton John called him a “dear friend and a huge trailblazer … one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.”
Robert Plant wrote: “Farewell Ozzy … sail on up there … you truly changed the planet of rock!”
Duran Duran hailed him as a fellow “Brummie” who “brought so much joy, humour and raw power.”
UB40’s Ali Campbell dubbed him the “undisputed king of heavy metal.”
Alice Cooper said Ozzy was “an unmatched showman and cultural icon … a titanic boulder has crashed, but rock will roll on.”
From his days as a working-class kid in Birmingham to the world’s stages, Ozzy Osbourne lived and rocked on his own terms. His impact on music, pop culture, and millions of fans around the world will never fade.
Rest in peace, Prince of Darkness.
