The world has lost a rock legend.
Ozzy Osbourne, the Black Sabbath rocker-turned-The Osbournes reality star, died on July 22, his family announced. He was 76.
“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,” his family—including wife Sharon Osbourne as well as kids Aimee Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Jack Osbourne,and Louis Osbourne—said in a statement shared to E! News. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Ozzy’s passing comes just weeks after the musician—also dad to Jessica Osbourne—took the stage with his band for the last time on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. Before his final performance, his wife Sharon shared his excitement at being able to return to the mic once again.
“He’s so excited about this,” she told the BBC in February, “about being with the guys again and all his friends. It’s exciting for everyone.”
She added, “Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s been no full stop. This is his full stop.”
His death also comes just days after daughter Kelly addressed online speculation about her father’s health, slamming rumors that he and wife Sharon had a suicide pact.
“He’s not dying,” Kelly said on her Instagram Stories July 11. “Yes, he has Parkinson’s, and yes, his mobility is completely different than it used to be, but he’s not dying. What is wrong with you?”
Ozzy had experienced a series of health issues over the years, including a battle with Parkinson’s disease. In June 2022, Sharon shared that her husband was undergoing a “major operation” that was “really going to determine the rest of his life.”
Born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England, Ozzy struggled in school, but it was clear early on that his future would be in the spotlight. As he shared in the 2020 film Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, “The only thing I had a passion for was music.”
That passion turned him into a superstar. In 1968, Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Terry “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward formed Black Sabbath, a band name that came to Tony after he noticed the public’s interest in scary movies. The move, Ozzy once told Rolling Stone, “was the f–king change of my life.”
Not long after the band started to take off with its self-titled debut album and follow-up Paranoid, Ozzy met and married his first wife Thelma Riley. Together, they welcomed two children: Jessica and Louis (Thelma also had a son, Elliot Kingsley, from a previous relationship).
Meanwhile, as the group became more successful, Ozzy realized living life as a rock star wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. “Money would be the alcohol and the drugs,” the musician said in Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, “and I behaved badly.”
By 1979, Ozzy was kicked out of the band, mourning the loss of his dad—and soon the end of his marriage. “That was one of the lowest points of my life,” he continued. “But my life was about to change.”
Change it did. Ozzy launched a solo career, with his debut album Blizzard of Ozz dropping in 1980 and Diary of a Madman the following year. However, his music wasn’t the only thing to make headlines, his onstage antics did, too, including his biting of a bat during a 1982 show.
“I just thought it was a rubber bat,” Ozzy said in the documentary, “and I just put it in my mouth and crunched down. I just f–king bit into it, you know, being the f–king clown that I am [and was like], ‘Oh no! It’s real.'”
On the personal front, Ozzy officially split from Thelma in 1982 and married Sharon, who was also his manager, soon after. Together, they welcomed three children: Aimee, Kelly and Jack.
“She’s the only one I’ve ever loved in my life,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said about Sharon in the documentary. “I mean, she’s my soulmate.”
While there were many happy memories in their decades-long marriage, there were difficult times, too, including Ozzy’s battle with addiction, his 1989 attack on Sharon, her 2002 fight against colon cancer (she was declared cancer free in 2003) and their 2016 breakup (with the couple renewing their vows in 2017).
Some of the family’s ups and downs were documented on The Osbournes, a reality TV series that aired on MTV from 2002 to 2005 and starred Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack.
“He’d crossed over,” Jack said on Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne. “He’d made that leap from being that guy on the poster in your teenage son’s bedroom to now the guy on the TV in the family living room and mom and dad loved him just as much in a different way.”
Prince of Darkness, TV star, husband and father: Ozzy had done it all.
“I never thought I’d make it this far,” Ozzy told Rolling Stone in 2018 while reflecting on his career. “Fifty years is a lot. I don’t understand why I’m alive still after the hell-raising days. I guess whoever the man is upstairs, if there even is one, wants me to stick around.”
Keep reading for a look back at his life…
1969
Before being known as Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Tommy Iommi performed under the name Earth.
1970
The heavy metal band members were ready to rock as they posed for this shot.
1972
Ozzy, born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England, in 1948, struggled with school early on. It was his passion for music that ultimately helped him move forward.
“I left school with a little more education than when I first started going,” he told The Associated Press in 2010. “Because of my dyslexia, I couldn’t learn. So, I was teased a lot by one of my sister about not bing able to read. It’s very shameful.”
“If it wasn’t for The Beatles turning me onto music in a big way, I don’t know what I would have done,” he continued. “Music has been the main thing that got me out of the area, the place I was born.”
1973
In 1968, he and his friends formed Black Sabbath, inspired by the film of the same name, with their self-titled debut album earning major commercial success. In 1971, he married his first wife Thelma Riley, with whom he shared kids Jessica Osbourne, Louis Osbourne and ElliotKingsley.
1974
The “Paranoid” singer, donning shiny pants embellished with a snake, embraced the crowd during the band’s set at the California Jam music festival.
1975
Black Sabbath walked the streets of London in style.
1976
The band performed at the iconic Hammersmith Odeon—now named the Eventim Apollo—in London.
1977
Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill were all smiles as they showed off their silver recording certification for Technical Ecstasy.
1980
Ozzy was happy to sink his teeth into a macabre photo shoot. He was fired from Black Sabbath the year before due to his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse.
“Money would be the alcohol and the drugs and I behaved badly,” he said in his documentary Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne of that time. “That was one of the lowest points of my life.”
1982
Ozzy—as a solo artist—took the stage at Madison Square Garden for his Diary of a Madman tour, just two days after he infamously bit into a dead bat that was thrown onto the stage, which he believed was fake.
“I just thought it was a rubber bat,” Ozzy said in the documentary, “and I just put it in my mouth and crunched down. I just f–king bit into it, you know, being the f–king clown that I am [and was like], ‘Oh no! It’s real.'”
Later that year, he married his manager, Sharon Arden.
1983
The “Iron Man” singer, donning his iconic dark eyeliner, posed with a cigarette before a performance in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Ozzy and Sharonwelcomed their first child together, Aimee Osbourne.
1984
Ozzy and Motlëy Crüe’s Vince Neil posed after performing for their Bark at the Moon tour. Ozzy and Sharon welcomed their daughter Kelly Osbourne.
1985
Ozzy and Sharon, who tied the knot in 1982, were in paradise as they vacationed in Brazil. They also welcomed their son, Jack Osbourne.
1986
Posing for pics before a performance in Chicago on July 13, 1986.
1987
Ozzy at home with Sharon and their kids Kelly, Jack and Aimee.
1988
The British star showcased his ’80s rockstar hair for this portrait in his garden in May 1988.
1989
In August 1989, Ozzy’s band performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in Russia.
1991
The singer proved he was a style icon as he posed in round-rimmed sunglasses and a black and red theatrical military-inspired ensemble.
1992
Black Sabbath made its mark as the band members left their handprints at the Rock Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.
1995
Ozzy sang his heart out at Terminal 1 in Munich, Germany.
1997
A portrait of the Osbourne family at their luxury home in Beverly Hills.
1998
Black Sabbath proved their bond was forever as they celebrated 30 years as a band. Ozzy had rejoined one year earlier.
1999
In 1999, the rocker attended the unveiling of the Ozzy Osbourne Action Figure at McFarlane Toy Showroom in New York City.
2000
The Grammy-winner rocked his signature black leather style at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
2003
Ozzy and Sharon’s lives were on full display for the past year as they starred in their reality TV show The Osbournes from 2002 until 2005.
2006
Kelly proved she was daddy’s little girl as she attended Black Sabbath’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2012
Ozzy performed at the Gods of Metal Festival in Milan, Italy.
2015
Ozzy and Sharon attended the premiere of Amy at ArcLight Cinemas in Los Angeles.
One year later, Ozzy and Sharon had taken a break after the latter had cheated on his wife. The couple ultimately reconciled, with Ozzy sharing on Good Morning America that they were “back on track again.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had emphasized that Sharon was, in fact, the One.
“She’s the only one I’ve ever loved in my life,” he said of his wife during his documentary. “I mean, she’s my soulmate.”
2018
The rock legend was glowing as he announced his No More Tours II: Final World Tour during a press conference.
2019
Ozzy looked back at his star-studded life, realizing that he had done a lot during his 50-year career.
“I never thought I’d make it this far,” he told Rolling Stone in 2018 while reflecting on his career. “I don’t understand why I’m alive still after the hell-raising days. I guess whoever the man is upstairs, if there even is one, wants me to stick around.”
