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Ozzy Osbourne, pioneering heavy metal singer, dies aged 76
Ozzy Osbourne, frontman of 1970s heavy metal band Black Sabbath, earned his infamy biting the head off a bat on stage and pursuing a drug-fuelled lifestyle before reinventing himself as a loveable if often foul-mouthed reality TV star.
Known to fans as “The Prince of Darkness” and the “Godfather of Heavy Metal,” Osbourne has died at the age of 76, his family said in a statement on Tuesday.
“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. He was with his family and surrounded by love,” they said.
Osbourne kicked off his career in the early 1970s as singer on Black Sabbath’s hits, from “Paranoid” to “War Pigs” to “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”. Those plus a string of solo releases saw him sell more than 100 million records worldwide.
The hard riffs and dark subject matter – from depression to war to apocalypse – combined with an instinct for Halloween theatrics. As a performer, Osbourne sprinkled audiences with raw meat and, in 1982, had his encounter with a bat thrown on stage by a fan.
He always insisted he thought it was a toy until he bit into it, realised his mistake and rushed to hospital for a rabies shot. He later sold branded bat soft toys with a removable head.
Osbourne was a regular target for conservative and religious groups concerned about the negative impact of rock music on young people. He acknowledged the excesses of his lifestyle and lyrics – but poured scorn on the wilder reports that he was an actual devil-worshipper.
“I’ve done some bad things in my time. But I ain’t the devil. I’m just John Osbourne: a working-class kid from Aston who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time,” he said in a 2010 biography.
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John Michael Osbourne was the fourth of six children. Growing up in Aston, Birmingham, in central England, he struggled with dyslexia, left school at age 15, did a series of menial jobs, and at one point served a brief prison sentence for burglary. Then came Black Sabbath.
“When I was growing up, if you’d have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of 60, with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and California, I wouldn’t have put money on me, no fucking way,” he once said.
Britain’s Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, a member of parliament representing a Birmingham constituency, wrote on X that she was devastated to hear the news of his death.
“One of the greatest gifts my city gave the world,” Mahmood said.
In 2002, Osbourne won legions of new fans when he starred in U.S. reality TV show “The Osbournes”.
Cameras followed the aging rock god ambling round his huge house in Beverly Hills, pronouncing on events in his heavy Birmingham accent and looking on bemused at the antics of his family.
Osbourne’s family included wife and manager Sharon, five children including Jack, Kelly and Aimee, and several grandchildren.
No cause of death was given, but Osbourne revealed in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The illness made him unable to walk.
In his final concert on July 5 in Birmingham, Osbourne performed sitting, at times appearing to have difficulties speaking as he thanked thousands of adoring fans, some of whom were visibly emotional.
Osbourne’s performance followed a number of tributes on stage and on stadium screens from rock and pop royalty including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Metallica’s James Hetfield and Elton John.
“Thanks for your support over the years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you,” said Osbourne.
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