\n\t\t\t\t\t\tOzzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice \u2014 and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id \u2014 of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. He was 76.\u201cIt 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,\u201d a family statement said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson\u2019s disease after suffering a fall.Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents\u2019 groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show \u201cThe Osbournes.\u201dBlack Sabbath\u2019s 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock \u2019n\u2019 roll.The band\u2019s second album, \u201cParanoid,\u201d included such classic metal tunes as \u201cWar Pigs,\u201d \u201cIron Man\u201d and \u201cFairies Wear Boots.\u201d The song \u201cParanoid\u201d only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band\u2019s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.\u201cBlack Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who\u2019s serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,\u201d Dave Navarro of the band Jane\u2019s Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. \u201cThere\u2019s a direct line you can draw back from today\u2019s metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.\u201dSabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. \u201cWe knew we didn\u2019t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,\u201d wrote bassist Terry \u201cGeezer\u201d Butler in his memoir, \u201cInto the Void.\u201dOsbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with \u201cBlizzard of Ozz\u201d and the following year\u2019s \u201cDiary of a Madman,\u201d both hard rock classics that went multi-platinum and spawned enduring favorites such as \u201cCrazy Train,\u201d \u201cGoodbye to Romance,\u201d \u201cFlying High Again\u201d and \u201cYou Can\u2019t Kill Rock and Roll.\u201d Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame \u2014 once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July 2025 in the U.K. for what Osborne said would be his final concert. \u201cLet the madness begin!\u201d he told 42,000 fans.Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith\u2019s Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar, Andrew Watt, Yungblud, Korn\u2019s Jonathan Davis, Nuno Bettencourt, Chad Smith and Vernon Reid made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities.\u201cBlack Sabbath: we\u2019d all be different people without them, that\u2019s the truth,\u201d said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. \u201cI know I wouldn\u2019t be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath.\u201dOsbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off a live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song \u201cSuicide Solution.\u201d The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC\/DC.Then-Cardinal John J. O\u2019Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne\u2019s songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. \u201cYou are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,\u201d the singer wrote back. \u201cYou have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.\u201dAudiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty \u201cGod bless!\u201dHe started an annual tour \u2014 Ozzfest \u2014 in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.Osbourne\u2019s look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw \u201c13,\u201d which reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone\u2019s \u201cTake What You Want,\u201d Osbourne\u2019s first song in the Top 10 since 1989.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Ozzy Osbourne,<\/a> the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice \u2014 and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id \u2014 of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show.<\/a> He was 76.<\/p>\n \u201cIt 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,\u201d a family statement said. In 2020, he revealed he had Parkinson\u2019s disease after suffering a fall.<\/p>\n Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents\u2019 groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show \u201cThe Osbournes.\u201d<\/p>\n Black Sabbath\u2019s 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock \u2019n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n The band\u2019s second album, \u201cParanoid,\u201d included such classic metal tunes as \u201cWar Pigs,\u201d \u201cIron Man\u201d and \u201cFairies Wear Boots.\u201d The song \u201cParanoid\u201d only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band\u2019s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.<\/p>\n \u201cBlack Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who\u2019s serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,\u201d Dave Navarro of the band Jane\u2019s Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. \u201cThere\u2019s a direct line you can draw back from today\u2019s metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath.\u201d<\/p>\n Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. \u201cWe knew we didn\u2019t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation,\u201d wrote bassist Terry \u201cGeezer\u201d Butler in his memoir, \u201cInto the Void.\u201d<\/p>\n Osbourne reemerged the next year as a solo artist with \u201cBlizzard of Ozz\u201d and the following year\u2019s \u201cDiary of a Madman,\u201d both hard rock classics that went multi-platinum and spawned enduring favorites such as \u201cCrazy Train,\u201d \u201cGoodbye to Romance,\u201d \u201cFlying High Again\u201d and \u201cYou Can\u2019t Kill Rock and Roll.\u201d Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame \u2014 once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.<\/p>\n The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the first time in 20 years in July 2025 in the U.K. for what Osborne said would be his final concert. \u201cLet the madness begin!\u201d he told 42,000 fans.<\/p>\n Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon did sets. Tom Morello, Aerosmith\u2019s Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar, Andrew Watt, Yungblud, Korn\u2019s Jonathan Davis, Nuno Bettencourt, Chad Smith and Vernon Reid made appearances. Actor Jason Momoa was the host for the festivities.<\/p>\n \u201cBlack Sabbath: we\u2019d all be different people without them, that\u2019s the truth,\u201d said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. \u201cI know I wouldn\u2019t be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath.\u201d<\/p>\n Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off a live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)<\/p>\n Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song \u201cSuicide Solution.\u201d The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC\/DC.<\/p>\n Then-Cardinal John J. O\u2019Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne\u2019s songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. \u201cYou are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,\u201d the singer wrote back. \u201cYou have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty \u201cGod bless!\u201d<\/p>\n He started an annual tour \u2014 Ozzfest \u2014 in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. Ozzfest has gone on to host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.<\/p>\n Osbourne\u2019s look changed little over his life. He wore his long hair flat, heavy black eye makeup and round glasses, often wearing a cross around his neck. In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw \u201c13,\u201d which reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart and peaked at No. 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone\u2019s \u201cTake What You Want,\u201d Osbourne\u2019s first song in the Top 10 since 1989.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ozzy Osbourne, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[24950,24956,89,236,24962,24949,88,24952,18289,24958,24959,23342,24951,24953,90,24961,23640,24957,24955,24954,24960],"class_list":["post-29535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-24950","tag-band","tag-black-sabbath","tag-celebrities","tag-daughter-kelly","tag-dies","tag-entertainment","tag-fame","tag-head","tag-heavy-metal-music","tag-live-bat","tag-macnd","tag-osbourne","tag-ozzy","tag-ozzy-osbourne","tag-rolling-stone-magazine","tag-show","tag-solo-album","tag-son-jack","tag-stage","tag-wife-sharon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}