Ozzy Osbourne, the irrepressible voice of Black Sabbath and a founding father of heavy metal, has died at the age of 76. His family confirmed his passing in a statement, saying the singer was “surrounded by love” and asking for privacy during this time. No official cause of death was given, though Osbourne had faced multiple health challenges in recent years, including Parkinson’s disease and injuries from a 2019 fall that required intensive surgery.

For more than five decades, Osbourne was one of the most recognizable and unpredictable figures in rock music. His haunting vocals on songs like “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” and “Paranoid” helped define Black Sabbath’s sinister sound and laid the groundwork for what would become heavy metal. Later, as a solo artist, he embraced theatricality and personal chaos, creating gothic anthems that resonated across generations. His 1980 debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, proved he could carry the torch on his own terms, propelled by the explosive hit “Crazy Train.”

Osbourne’s career spanned not only music but also pop culture. In the 2000s, he became a household name thanks to the reality TV series The Osbournes, which offered a chaotic, uncensored look at his family life and showcased a surprisingly endearing domestic side of the once-feared metal icon. The show earned an Emmy and helped rebrand Osbourne as something of a lovable anti-hero, a far cry from the bat-biting legend of decades prior.

Born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England, on December 3, 1948, he was the fourth of six children in a working-class family. His father was a factory toolmaker, his mother worked days at a factory after his father returned home from night shifts. Childhood was difficult. Osbourne struggled with dyslexia and attention-deficit disorder and endured bullying at school, including being beaten up by future Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. At age 14, depressed and aimless, he attempted suicide. That same year, however, he had what he later described as a life-changing moment when he heard The Beatles’ “She Loves You.” Music became his escape and, eventually, his calling.

After dropping out of school and briefly drifting into petty crime - including a stint in prison for burglary, Osbourne's father bought him a microphone and sound system, encouraging him to pursue music seriously. A wanted ad in a Birmingham music shop led him to bassist Geezer Butler. Together, they joined forces with Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, forming the nucleus of what would become Black Sabbath.

Their early sound was rooted in blues and acid rock, but it took a darker turn after a chilling dream Butler had inspired their breakthrough song, “Black Sabbath.” Osbourne’s eerie vocals and the band’s heavy, riff-laden sound set them apart from their contemporaries. Their self-titled debut album was recorded in a matter of days on a shoestring budget but became a cult hit. Their sophomore effort, Paranoid, with its ominous title track and enduring hits like “Iron Man,” solidified their place in music history.

Through the 1970s, Black Sabbath churned out albums that explored themes of war, addiction, and the supernatural. But the band was also unraveling behind the scenes. Osbourne’s substance abuse grew increasingly destructive, and after the release of Never Say Die! in 1978, he was fired from the band. “Firing me for being messed up was hypocritical bullshit,” he later wrote in his memoir. “We were all messed up.”

Osbourne considered quitting music altogether, but Sharon Arden, daughter of Sabbath’s manager and soon to become his wife, convinced him to launch a solo career. Backed by a new band and the virtuosic guitarist Randy Rhoads, Osbourne released Blizzard of Ozz in 1980. The album was a triumph, introducing a faster, more melodic sound that appealed to a new generation of metal fans. Rhoads' death in a tragic 1982 plane crash shook Osbourne deeply, but he continued recording and touring relentlessly.

Throughout the '80s and '90s, Osbourne remained a fixture in heavy metal, known as much for his outrageous stage antics - including infamously biting the head off a bat - as for his hit records. His 1991 album No More Tears produced several enduring tracks and marked one of his most commercially successful solo efforts.

Controversy often followed. In the mid-'80s, Osbourne faced lawsuits from families who blamed his song “Suicide Solution” for their children's deaths, though none were successful. He battled addiction, was arrested multiple times, and once even attempted to strangle Sharon during a blackout in 1989, an incident he later spoke about with regret and disbelief. Yet, he continually returned to music, drawing massive crowds and mentoring new generations of metal acts through his touring festival, Ozzfest.

Osbourne was diagnosed with a Parkinson’s-related disorder in the early 2000s and later publicly revealed the condition in 2020. Still, he remained committed to performing. In July 2025, just weeks before his death, he played what would become his final show, a sold-out hometown benefit concert at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, where he reunited with the original members of Black Sabbath for a final bow. It was a full-circle moment for the prince of darkness and the city that raised him.

Over his career, Osbourne earned multiple Grammy Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Black Sabbath in 2006. Yet, accolades meant less to him than the cheers of a live crowd. “It’s not a job,” he told Rolling Stone in 2020. “How can you retire from a rock band? I’ll retire when they put the f*cking nail in the lid.”

Ozzy Osbourne’s legacy remains in the music he shaped and the artists he inspired.