Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath singer, solo artist and reality TV star, dies at 76

Ozzy Osbourne, the storied Black Sabbath lead singer known as much for his excesses and bizarre onstage antics as his pioneering heavy metal music, has died in London.

Bedeviled by health issues for years, Osbourne died Tuesday morning, his family announced in a statement obtained by The Times. 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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” the family said.

Osbourne announced in early 2020 that he had been diagnosed nearly a year earlier with Parkinson’s disease, just the latest but by far the most serious ailment that over his career had repeatedly forced him to cancel public appearances, delay releasing new material and scrap concerts, including his own retirement tour.

Yet in July, the singer returned to his band’s hometown of Birmingham, England, for a concert heralding the end of both Black Sabbath and his solo career. Alongside Metallica, Slayer, Tool and other inheritors of his dark throne, a weakened yet grateful Osbourne performed for the final time, poignantly acknowledging the end of his career — and life — on “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”

“You made me cry, you told me lies / But I can’t stand to say goodbye,” he sang, to a tear-streaked, black-clad audience. “Mama, I’m coming home.”

The heavy metal pioneer’s career spanned more than four decades as both a member of Black Sabbath and a solo artist, then as the maestro behind the annual Ozzfest that featured him — some of the time — alongside upcoming acts. It didn’t seem to bother Osbourne that he was largely disregarded by critics. In 1970, Rolling Stone’s Lester Bangs said Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut was “hyped as a rockin’ ritual celebration of the Satanic mass or some such claptrap … they’re not that bad, but that’s about all the credit you can give them.” Fans, however, cheered him wildly, as he sold more than 100 million records as the leader of Black Sabbath and as a solo artist, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with his bandmates in 2006.