Ozzy Osbourne, who was born John Michael Osbourne on Dec. 3, 1948, and later earned the nickname “The Prince of Darkness” from his shadowy heavy metal persona, died Tuesday, July 22, after battling a number of health issues over the years. He was 76.
The Black Sabbath frontman was known as much for his indelible mark on the music industry as he was for his larger-than-life personality, be it on stage or in front of a camera while filming the massively successful reality show, “The Osbournes.”
Two weeks before his death, Ozzy reunited with Black Sabbath to perform at a star-studded farewell show in England, an appropriately dark and electric send-off for one of rock’s greatest legends.
During his final show July 5 at Villa Park, Osbourne expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support as the band, including Tony Iommi, Terence “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward, performed together for the first time in 20 years.
The 10-hour show was hosted by Jason Momoa and featured performances from Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Jack Black, Steven Tyler and others. At one point during the show, which was livestreamed in the U.K., legendary drummers, including Tool’s Danny Carey, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Blink-182’s Travis Barker, battled with their drumsticks while playing a cover of Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe.”
OZZY OSBOURNE PERFORMS FINAL CONCERT WITH BLACK SABBATH BANDMATES AND MORE LEGENDARY ARTISTS
For the closing set, the legendary rock star was lifted to the stage while sitting on a black throne accompanied by skulls and topped with a black bat. He sang hits like “Crazy Train” and “Mama I’m Coming Home” while remaining seated during the entire set.
“You have no idea how I feel,” Osbourne told the crowd. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Born in Aston, West Midlands, U.K., Ozzy was drawn to the theater as a child, but he ultimately turned to music after listening to one particular song from The Beatles.
“When I heard ‘She Loves You,’ my world went up like a shooting star,” Osbourne once told Esquire. “It was a divine experience. The planets changed. I used to fantasize that Paul McCartney would marry my sister.”
WATCH: Ozzy Osbourne during his final performance with Black Sabbath
After leaving school as a teenager, Osbourne spent six weeks in prison after being convicted of robbing a clothing store. It was in 1967 he was recruited by Geezer Butler to be a vocalist in a band the would become Black Sabbath.
Their sinister sound helped pave the way for heavy metal music, with their first three albums — “Black Sabbath,” “Paranoid” and “Master of Reality” — credited as pioneering albums in the industry.
After gaining commercial success, releasing three more albums and touring for a handful of years, Ozzy threw in the towel in 1978 to pursue a solo endeavor, “Blizzard of Ozz.”
He rejoined the group, only to be ejected by Black Sabbath three months later, and was replaced by Ronnie James Dio. Ozzy had already been in the throes of substance abuse and addiction like the other band members, he claimed in his book, “I Am Ozzy.”
“We knew we didn’t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,” Butler wrote in his memoir, “Into The Void.”
In 1982, one year after signing his first solo record deal, Ozzy bit the head off a bat while performing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Iowa. Osbourne later claimed the bat bit him, and he was treated for rabies.
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Now a star in his own right, Ozzy married his manager, Sharon Arden, July 4, 1982, and continued his ascent to rock stardom. The power couple later formed Ozzfest in the ’90s, the first heavy metal-focused festival that grossed more than $100 million.
The “Iron Man” singer was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2003. However, he didn’t speak publicly about his diagnosis until 2020. He admitted that he couldn’t walk anymore during a Jan. 29 episode of his Sirius XM show, “Ozzy Speaks.”
“I may be moaning about how I can’t walk, but I look down the road and there’s people that didn’t do half as much as me, and they didn’t make it,” he said at the time.
The “Dreamer” vocalist struggled with a number of physical ailments over the years. In 2003, he almost died in an ATV accident when his quad flipped onto him while he was riding around his London estate.
In 2022, the “Mama I’m Coming Home” singer underwent surgery to remove and realign pins in his neck and back. Ozzy’s back problems likely stemmed from the all-terrain vehicle collision.
At the time, he had emergency surgery for “a broken collarbone (and) eight fractured ribs that were pinching crucial blood vessels and damaged vertebrae in his neck.”
“I’m just waiting on some more surgery on my neck,” he told Classic Rock magazine in May 2022. “I can’t walk properly these days. I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road.”
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When asked if he ever thought about his own mortality, Ozzy said he felt optimistic about his future as he looked back on the past.
“At f—ing 73, I’ve done pretty well,” he said. “I don’t plan on going anywhere, but my time’s going to come.”
Years after his success as a heavy metal rock star, the Osbourne family became a household name in the early 2000s when MTV took fans inside their lives as famous stars — and the children of rock royalty — with an unscripted show about the family. The series premiered in 2002 and ran for four seasons, with a final curtain call in 2005.
The Grammy Award winner was candid about his drug and alcohol issues, and, upon releasing “Black Rain” in 2007, his first album in nearly six years, reflected on the importance of the catalog.
“I thought I’d never write again without any stimulation. … But you know what? Instead of picking up the bottle, I just got honest and said, ‘I don’t want life to go [to pieces],'” he told Billboard magazine.
The band reunited and played in May 2012, their first concert since 2005. The following year, they embarked on a world tour, which ended in June 2014 in London’s Hyde Park.
Their 20th studio album and final tour was slated for 2016, but by the beginning of March 2017, Black Sabbath disbanded, and Osbourne later said he had no interest in a reunion.
“Not for me. It’s done,” Osbourne told Ultimate Classic Rock. “The only thing I do regret is not doing the last farewell show in Birmingham with Bill Ward. I felt really bad about that. It would have been so nice. I don’t know what the circumstances behind it were, but it would have been nice. I’ve talked to Tony a few times, but I don’t have any of the slightest interest in doing another gig. Maybe Tony’s getting bored now.”
Years before his death, Osbourne reflected on the lasting legacy he wished to leave on the world as his Parkinson’s disease progressed.
“Survival is my legacy,” he told People magazine. “I mean, I’m 73. People go, ‘Well, you’re 70 … why don’t I throw the towel in?’ Why should I? People still want to buy my records. People still want to see me, so why should I? It motivates me to get off my backside and do something. I mean, if my career had gone down the toilet and I knew it was the end, I’d be pretty miserable.”
After his death, the Osbournes released a statement to Fox News Digital.
“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’s privacy at this time.”
Osbourne is survived by wife Sharon, daughters Kelly and Aimee and son Jack, in addition to daughter Jessica, and sons Elliot and Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley.
