The unthinkable has happened. Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne died at 76, his family announced.
With heavy hearts, the Osbournes released the following statement:
“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.”
As I fight back the urge to curl into a fetal position and throw the rest of this Tuesday in the garbage, I reflect on the life and times of a heavy metal icon. As the lead singer of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne pioneered stage and sound in ways some could only hope to dream. With Black Sabbath, Ozzy unleashed classic tracks like “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” and more. He left the band in 1979 to embark on a storied solo career spanning over one dozen albums. You can’t call yourself a metalhead until you’ve climbed aboard Ozzy’s “Crazy Train.”
Though a troubled soul, stories about Ozzy’s commanding stage presence are the stuff of legend. He even bit the head off a live bat by accident in 1982, thinking it was a prop made of rubber.
In the early 2000s, Ozzy, his wife Sharon, his daughter Kelly, and son Jack took MTV by storm with The Osbournes, a reality TV show introducing audiences and fans to an entirely different side of the black-hearted family.
Earlier this month, Ozzy played his final show alongside Black Sabbath at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England. The collaborative concert, titled Back to the Beginning, featured bands like Tool, Halestorm, Gojira, Anthrax, Metallica, Alice in Chains, Pantera, Slayer, Guns N’ Roses, and more, playing music from Ozzy’s exceptional career.
Osbourne played two sets during the celebration, which included performances of the following songs:
Ozzy Osbourne: “I Don’t Know,” “Mr. Crowley,” “Suicide Solution,” “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” “Crazy Train”
Black Sabbath: “War Pigs,” “N.I.B.,” “Iron Man,” “Paranoid,”
The depth and breadth of Ozzy’s career know no limits. I’ve seen Ozzy perform live with Black Sabbath on several occasions during the early years of Ozzfest. My tours included bands like Tool, Primus, Deftones, Slipknot, System of Down, Megadeth, Soulfly, Limp Bizkit, Sevendust, and more. While many bands brought the festival crowd to their knees, the finale featuring Ozzy and Black Sabbath was always the cherry on top of the black velvet cake. People lost their minds when Ozzy took the stage, raising their horns and headbanging along to classic songs as if their lives depended on it.
According to Tom Morello, the event’s musical director, Ozzy’s final performance at Back to the Beginning raised £140m for charity. A concert film celebrating the legacy of Osbourne and Black Sabbath is planned for a 2026 release.
While I am sad, I take comfort in knowing Ozzy got to perform in front of 40,000 screaming fans just weeks ago. If you’ve got to go out on a high note, I can’t think of one any higher than that. We here at JoBlo offer our sincerest condolences to Ozzy’s family, friends, and fans.
Goodbye to romance
Goodbye to friends
Goodbye to all the past
I guess that we’ll meet, we’ll meet in the end
