Ozzy Osbourne, a pioneering figure in British heavy metal, celebrated solo artist, and reality TV star, passed away Tuesday after battling Parkinson’s disease for several years. He was 76. His death was confirmed by the BBC.
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in January 2020, Osbourne retired from touring in February 2023 due to spinal injuries sustained in a 2018 accident. He expressed deep regret over ending his touring career, saying, “[I]n all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/U.K. tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required. Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really FUCKS ME UP, more than you will ever know. Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way.”
From 1969 to 1979, Osbourne was the iconic frontman of Birmingham’s Black Sabbath, a band that defined heavy metal with its dark, heavy sound and haunting lyrics. Despite the band’s internal struggles and substance abuse, its early albums remain genre classics. As critic Deborah Frost noted during their 2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, “Black Sabbath simply oozed upon us, unfestooned by any pretense of art, peace, love, understanding, or mushroom embroidery, and immediately defined heavy metal.”
Osbourne gained mainstream fame in the early 2000s as the head of the MTV reality show “The Osbournes,” which offered a glimpse into his unconventional family life. The show was praised for its blend of warmth and eccentricity, portraying Ozzy as a “trembling Goth-looking Dad” surrounded by his outspoken family.
Osbourne’s later career included a reunion with Black Sabbath, multiple solo albums, and continued touring. His late-career solo albums, “Ordinary Man” (2020) and “Patient Number 9” (2022), both charted highly.
In recent years, Osbourne and his family returned to the UK after 25 years in the U.S., documented in the BBC reality show “Home to Roost.”
Ozzy Osbourne leaves behind his wife and five children, remembered as a foundational force in heavy metal and a cultural icon whose influence spans decades.
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