Legendary rock musician Ozzy Osbourne has died

He was 76 years old

At the age of 76, Ozzy Osbourne — the iconic British musician, one of the founders of Black Sabbath and a pioneer of heavy metal — has passed away.

This was announced by his family in an official statement. As noted, the artist passed away surrounded by his closest loved ones.

«With unspeakable sadness, we announce that Ozzy Osbourne passed away this morning. He was surrounded by the love of his family,» reads the statement signed by his wife Sharon and children Aimee, Kelly, Jack, and Louis. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

In recent years, Osbourne had been battling serious illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease, as well as complications following a fall in 2019, which led to numerous surgeries. Since then, his stage activity had been almost entirely halted.

Nevertheless, in early July this year, the musician appeared on stage one last time — at a farewell concert in Birmingham. Black Sabbath reunited for the first time in nearly 20 years in its original lineup — with Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Terence Butler. Osbourne performed the hits while seated on a special throne due to mobility issues.

The show also featured global rock stars: Metallica, Slayer, Guns N’ Roses, Steven Tyler, and others. The event was attended by over 40,000 spectators and became a true farewell to a musical icon.

As a reminder, Ozzy Osbourne and his band Black Sabbath rose to fame in the early 1970s as one of the founding forces of the heavy metal genre and are considered one of the most iconic acts in rock history.

Together with Black Sabbath — and later as a solo artist, after being fired from the band in 1979 for alcohol and drug abuse — Ozzy sold over 100 million albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the United States.