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(NewsNation) — Ozzy Osbourne, the lead singer of British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has died at 76, according to the Osbourne family.
“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,” a family statement said.
Ozzy, born John Michael Osbourne, only weeks prior had played a final show with Black Sabbath in the band’s hometown of Birmingham.
Osbourne was a founding member of Black Sabbath in 1968 in Birmingham, a city then known for its heavy industry that became the crucible of the British metal scene. Black Sabbath’s devil imagery and thunderous sound made it one of the era's most influential — and parent-scaring — metal acts. Both the band and Osbourne as a solo artist have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Black Sabbath, 1970: Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
Black Sabbath (L-R) Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne pose for a portrait on May 31, 1970 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Walter/Getty Images)
FILE - Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne poses for a photo in Los Angeles on Dec. 21, 1981. (AP Photo/Douglas Pizac, file)
FILE - British rock musician Ozzy Osbourne is shown on Oct. 27, 1988 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)
English singer, songwriter, actor and television personality Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath performs on stage, Lewisham Odeon, London, 27 May 1978. (Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns)
FILE - Ozzy Osbourne arrives at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Singer Ozzy Osbourne performs during halftime of an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills in Inglewood, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
FILE - Ozzy Osbourne performs during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony at the Alexander stadium in Birmingham, England, Aug. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE - Heavy metal rock star Ozzy Osbourne poses at the Peninsula Hotel in New York, July 27, 2000. (AP Photo/Jeff Geissler, file)
FILE - In this June 15, 1997 file photo, Ozzy Osbourne performs with Black Sabbath during the Ozzfest concert at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, file)
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 10: Musician Ozzy Osbourne signs copies of his album "Patient Number 9" at Fingerprints Music on September 10, 2022 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Musician Ozzy Osbourne performs during half-time of the 2022 NFL season opening game between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 08, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Singer Ozzy Osborne stripped off in his swimming pool in Beverly Hills, California in June 1987. Ozzy smokes his cigar while giving the victory sign.(Photo by Eddie sanderson/Getty Images).
Ozzy Osbourne, former lead singer of Black Sabbath, pictured in his open air hot tub in the garden of his luxury home in Goldwater Canyon, Beverly Hills,California biting the head of a rubber chicken. 28th April 1982.(Photo by Eddie Sanderson/Getty Images).
British musician Ozzy Osbourne (left) and American guitarist Zakk Wylde perform at the Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates, Chicago, Illinois, July 12, 1989. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
British musician Ozzy Osbourne performs at the Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, Wisconsin, May 29, 1982. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
John Osbourne (aka Ozzy Osbourne) was arrested by Memphis cops in May 1984 and charged with public intoxication. (Photo courtesy Bureau of Prisons/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 25: (L-R) Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne, and Sharon Osbourne attend the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Sean "Diddy" Combs on January 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
(MANDATORY CREDIT Watal Asanuma/Shinko Music/Getty Images) Black Sabbath backstage before performing at London Music Festival '73 at Alexandra Palace, London, 2nd August 1973. L-R Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler. (Photo by Watal Asanuma/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
Ozzy Osbourne, portrait, London , United Kingdom, 1991. (Photo by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images)
Ozzy Osbourne, former lead singer of Black Sabbath, pictured in his open air hot tub in the garden of his luxury home in Goldwater Canyon, Beverly Hills,California with giant rubber fly. 28th April 1982.(Photo by Eddie Sanderson/Getty Images).
(MANDATORY CREDIT Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images) Ozzy Osbourne Band, live, Moscow Music Peace Festival 1989 at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, USSR, 12th and 13th August, 1989. Ozzy Osbourne (vocals). (Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
Portrait of British musician Ozzy Osbourne as he poses before a concert at the Rosemont Horizon,Rosemont, Illinois, March 4, 1984. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 26: Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Jack Osbourne attend the 56th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Black Sabbath's final concert
The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July 2025 in the U.K. for what Osbourne said would be his final concert. “Let the madness begin!” he told 42,000 fans.
Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar, Andrew Watt, Yungblud, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Nuno Bettencourt, Chad Smith and Vernon Reid made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities.
Osbourne’s fame expanded into the mainstream in the early 2000s, when he joined his wife, Sharon Osbourne, and two of their children in the MTV reality TV show “The Osbournes.”
Sabbath's final concert raised more than $190 million for three charities, making it the highest-grossing charity concert of all time. Variety reports that Mercury Studios is putting together a theatrical release, which is expected to hit theaters in early 2026.
What health conditions was Ozzy diagnosed with?
He had struggled with health issues, especially since 2003 following a near-fatal quad bike crash. He revealed a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020 and paused touring in 2023 after spinal surgery.
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