Heavy metal pioneer and Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76. His family confirmed his death in a statement on social media. “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,” the statement read. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family’s privacy at this time.”
Osbourne fronted the band that defined the sound of heavy metal and brought it out of the clubs and into stadiums. He was behind era-defining singles like “Iron Man,” “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” “Children of the Grave,” and “Crazy Train.” In recent years, he dealt with a number of health issues, including Parkinson’s disease and complications from a fall in 2019. On July 5, 2025, he gave his final performance at Villa Park in his hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Bands like Tool, Mastodon, Slayer, and Metallica joined the bill in tribute, each playing career-spanning sets to honor one of the most influential vocalists in metal.
In 1982, Osbourne made headlines when a fan threw a bat on stage during a show in Des Moines, Iowa. Thinking it was a toy, he bit into it and realized too late it was real. He was rushed to the hospital for rabies shots, and the moment became a permanent fixture in rock history. The act fueled his “Prince of Darkness” reputation, but it also reflected how far Osbourne had pushed the boundaries of stage performance.
Outside of music, Osbourne shaped early 2000s television with The Osbournes, one of the first successful reality TV shows to feature a celebrity family in their day-to-day lives. He made surreal cameos in Little Nicky and Austin Powers in Goldmember, extending his presence far beyond the genre he helped build. In 2006, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, a longtime admirer. His legacy is written into every distorted guitar and growled lyric that came after.
“I am determined to get back on stage even if I have to be nailed to a board and wheeled on,” Osbourne said in a PEOPLE interview in 2022. “Survival is my legacy.”
