July 22, 2025–Ozzy Osbourne, founding father of British heavy metal, and solo star and reality TV celeb, died Tuesday after yearslong struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 76.
Ozzy Osbourne
He performed two weeks ago at what was billed as Black Sabbath’s last concert in his and the band’s hometown of Birmingham, a tribute to the legendary band that included such legendary spiritual offspring as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice in Chains.
“In all good conscience, I have come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/U.K. tour dates, as I couldn’t deal with the travel. The thought of disappointing my fans really FUCKS ME UP, more than you will ever know. “Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way.”
Fired from Sabbath in 1979, Osbourne launched solo career that, commercially, surpassed the success of his former band. His groups launched Zakk Wylde and the late Randy Rhoads as metal guitar stars.
His popularity among fans was immense that his wife-manager Sharon Osbourne built touring festival, Ozzfest, around him; it became one of biggest box office triumphs of ‘90s and attracted glittering lineup of support acts, launching the careers of many.
He stunned CBS record execs at 1981 meeting, at company’s L.A. headquarters to promote debut solo album, by drunkenly biting off the head of live dove. Similar episode of live bat transpired at 1982 show in Des Moines, Iowa, leading to rabies shot.
He was born James Michael Osbourne in Birmingham Dec. 3, 1948. One of six children in working-class family, he was in school operettas and later early fan of the Beatles. After dropping out of school at 15, he was manual laborer and turned to petty crime, drawing short jail sentence for burglary.
At age 19, he partnered with bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler as vocalist in unsuccessful local band; they were joined by two former members of Mythology, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. Known as Earth, the quartet was forced to change its handle after they learned of like-named group; the musicians selected Black Sabbath, after director Mario Bava’s 1963 horror anthology.
Signed to Philips Records in the U.K. (and Warner Records in U.S.), Black Sabbath issued its debut album in 1970 – on Friday the 13th. The morbid LP was reviled by press, but it became top-10 hit in Britain and No. 23 in the U.S.
Swiftly recorded and released follow-up, “Paranoid,” put the band on the map, topping the English charts and reaching No. 12 stateside. It contained heavy-riffing numbers, with lyrics by Butler and yowled by Osbourne, which helped define the metal sound: “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” “Hand of Doom” and what became the group’s best-known signature, “Iron Man.”
The original lineup issued its highest-charting release, “Master of Reality,” in 1971; the set, which climbed to No. 8 in America, included “Sweet Leaf,” crowd-pleasing ode to pot smoking. The band diversified its sound on “Vol. 4” (No. 13, 1972), with ballad vocal, “Changes,” and the admired “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” (No. 11, 1973), distinguished by more thrashing attack.
The group’s problems led to marked drop-off in musical quality and record sales. “Sabotage” (1975) peaked at No. 28 in the U.S., while “Technical Ecstasy” (1976) managed a weak No. 51.
After making troublesome latter album, Osbourne bolted the group in 1977 and embarked on solo project, Blizzard of Ozz, and was replaced by singer Dave Walker of Savoy Brown. However, he changed his mind and returned to Sabbath for dismal collection ironically titled “Never Say Die!”
Released amid punk revolt in 1978, the old-fangled album topped out at No. 69. It was followed by disastrous Sabbath tour of Europe and U.S., opened by young Pasadena band Van Halen. A melee erupted at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium after Osbourne overslept and failed to show. Enraged by Osbourne’s disinterest and lack of discipline, other members of Black Sabbath fired their vocalist in 1979, replacing him with Ronnie James Dio.
The recruitment of Dio was suggested by Sharon Arden, the daughter of Sabbath’s manager Don Arden. She had met Osbourne as teenager, and the two began dating. She was instrumental in assembling Osbourne’s solo band, and soon took over as his personal manager. (She would marry him in 1982.)
Epic Records solo bow “Blizzard of Ozz” (1980) restored Osbourne’s commercial fortunes and introduced dynamic lead guitarist Randy Rhoads. The album peaked at No. 21 domestically and went quadruple-platinum, with one of Osbourne’s latter-day signatures, “Crazy Train.”
Another of album’s tracks, “Suicide Solution” caused lawsuit by parents of American teen who said the song prompted their son to kill himself in 1984; the case was ultimately dismissed.
After his first post-Rhoads releases “Bark at the Moon” (No. 24, 1983) and “The Ultimate Sin” (No. 6, 1986), Osbourne scored his only hit single: “Close My Eyes Forever,” duet with former Runaways guitarist Lita Ford, reaching No. 6 in 1988.
He found winning combination after Zakk Wylde, former member of New Jersey metal unit Stonehenge, took the guitar chair. His creative playing powered “No Rest For the Wicked” (No. 13, 1988), “No More Tears” (No. 7, 1991), the 1993 concert set “Live & Loud” and “Ozzmosis” (No. 4, 1995). Osbourne staged “retirement” tour after latter album, but reemerged quickly.
In 1996, after Osbourne’s services were declined by Lollapalooza Festival, Sharon Osbourne hit on the idea of metal fest centered around Ozzy. Mounted for 2 days in Arizona and California, Ozzfest was smashing success, top-grossing U.S. and U.K. touring event that attracted top names in metal.
Osbourne made brief return to the Sabbath in 1998, after couple of one-off on-stage reunions, for the live set “Reunion.” The two-disc release, with all four original members, included two new bonus studio recordings. It peaked at No. 11, and captured a best metal performance Grammy for its concert rendition of “Iron Man.”
In 2001, Osbourne’s first studio recording in 6 years, “Down to Earth,” shot to No. 4; its personnel included bassist Robert Trujillo, who exited the group to join Metallica, one of many younger bands inspired by Ozzy playbook.
“Under Cover,” 2005’s rendering of songs by the Beatles, Mountain, Mott the Hoople and Cream, found no favor with Osbourne fans. But all-original sets “Black Rain” (2007) and “Scream” (2010), restored the singer to chart, peaking at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
Plans for plotted album and tour by the four original Black Sabbath did not run smoothly. The reunion was postponed after Tony Iommi–only constant in band’s lineup–was diagnosed with lymphoma. Recording sessions were moved to the guitarist’s home in England, but then drummer Ward, due to financial terms of contract, backed out.
Produced by Rick Rubin, with Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine sitting in for Ward, 2012’s “Black Sabbath” shot to No. 1 on U.K. U.S. album charts, a first in the band’s 44-year history; its track “God is Dead?” earned best metal performance Grammy.
An album and tour, with the same lineup and both titled “The End,” marked the last run for the band in 2016-17. Osbourne and Black Sabbath called it quits on Feb. 4, 2017 in their hometown of Birmingham. Yet it was just one of some retirements for him (he first “retired” in 1992) and the band, and they reunited one last time earlier this month at the “Back to the Beginning” concert.
Osbourne issued two popular solo albums, “Ordinary Man” (No. 3 in the U.S., 2020) and “Patient Number 9” (No. 2, 2022).
A new reality show starring the Osbourne family, “Home to Roost,” about their return to U.K. after 25 years in thU.S., was announced by the BBC in 2022.
He is survived by his wife and five children.
