Cliff Notes – Music legend Ozzy Osbourne dies ‘surrounded by love’ aged 76
- Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic frontman of Black Sabbath, has passed away at the age of 76, with his family confirming he died this morning surrounded by loved ones.
- The music legend had been battling health issues, including Parkinson’s disease, which he publicly disclosed in 2020, following a series of serious health complications.
- His death comes shortly after a farewell performance with Black Sabbath, where he expressed gratitude to fans, marking a poignant end to his illustrious career in rock music.
Music legend Ozzy Osbourne dies ‘surrounded by love’ aged 76
Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76.
The music legend’s family confirmed the news in a statement earlier today, sharing that he died this morning.
The message, from his wife Sharon Osbourne and their three children – Kelly, Jack and Aimee, read: ‘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.
‘We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.’
Ozzy’s cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but he had been open about his devastating battle with Parkinson’s over the last few years.
Osbourne and Sharon have been married since 1982
The sad news comes just weeks after he performed with Black Sabbath for the final time.
At the beginning of the month, he took to the stage at Villa Park in Birmingham for the Back to the Beginning show, and delighted the crowd with a short solo.
During the all-day event, he was also joined on stage by bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.
‘It’s so good to be on this stage. You have no idea,’ he said, thanking those who had gathered at the stadium ‘from the bottom of [his] heart.
‘You have no idea how I feel.’
Ozzy recently performed on stage at Black Sabbath’s farewell gig
Music lovers gathered for the all-day concert, which also featured appearances by a string of other metal bands, including Metallica, Slayer, and Alice in Chains.
It was a bittersweet celebration for the rockers, after Ozzy faced a tough few years with health battles.
In January 2020, he revealed in an emotional interview that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s after suffering health complications due to a fall in 2019, which meant he had to have surgery on his neck.
Sharon explained: ‘It’s a form of Parkinson’s. There’s so many different types of Parkinson’s. It’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does effect certain nerves in your body.
‘It’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day.’
The star had been battling a string of health issues
Speaking to Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, she continued: ‘I’m on a host of medications, mainly for this surgery. I’ve got numbness down this arm from the surgery, my legs [keep] going cold.
‘I don’t know if that’s Parkinson’s or what. That’s the problem, because they cut nerves when they did the surgery. It’s a weird feeling.’
In a rare update, Ozzy added that he was taking medication for his condition, and also seeking treatment in Switzerland.
The couple share children Jack, Kelly and Aimee
In 2019, Ozzy suffered a string of illnesses and accidents, which began with hospitalisation for pneumonia.
Then, the reality star suffered a horror fall in his LA home, which dislodged the metal rods in his spine that had been put in after a quad-bike accident in 2003.
Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, he recalled: ‘I went to the bathroom in the night, lost my balance and landed flat on my face. I saw this big white flash when I hit the floor and I thought, “You’ve finally done it now”.
‘I knew it was bad, I thought I was paralysed, so very calmly I said, “Sharon, I can’t move. I think I’ve done my neck. Phone an ambulance”.’
The musician had to undergo three operations following the fall, and had to spend Christmas away from Sharon and daughter Kelly as doctors advised he was not well enough to fly back to the UK.
Ozzy, real name John Michael Osbourne, rose to fame in the 1970s as the frontman of metal band Black Sabbath, during which time he was nicknamed The Prince Of Darkness.
They went on to release tracks such as Paranoid, Iron Man and Changes.
His most infamous moment was in 1982 when he bit the head off a bat – believed to be dead at the time – while on stage at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 20.
The creature was launched at him from the audience by a fan and it was only after he had bitten into it that he realised it was a real animal. He was later rushed to hospital for a rabies injection.
To mark the occasion he released a plush bat with a velcro detachable head.