Ozzy Osbourne Dead at 76

The metal world — fuck that, the world in general — just lost one of the most iconic individuals ever to walk the planet, as Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has passed away at 76 years old. His death was confirmed through the following statement released by his family:

“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.”

This heartbreaking news comes less than two weeks after the monumental send off that was the ‘Back to the Beginning’ concert in Birmingham, U.K. where he and Black Sabbath got to play one final show before officially retiring for good.

To say John Michael Osbourne was an important person in heavy metal would be downplaying it to a ridiculous degree. Yes, he’s the voice of some of the genre’s most beloved songs like “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” and “Iron Man”, but he was more than just a musician by the time of his passing.

It’s arguable that Ozzy’s star rose even further after he left Black Sabbath in 1979. After kickstarting his solo career in the 80s and releasing banger after banger like “Shot In The Dark,” “Bark At The Moon” and “Crazy Train”, he also dabbled in movies, television, and a whole slew of other entertainment avenues that brought the “Prince of Darkness” straight to the forefront.

Then there were the various controversies — his famous drug habits, the time he accidentally bit the head off a live bat that he mistook for a rubber toy during a 1982 show, the moment he pissed on the side of the Alamo and got arrested… the list goes on.

And then came his foray into reality television with the launch of The Osbournes on MTV back in the early 2000s, not only introducing himself once again to a younger audience, but propelling his son Jack, daughter Kelly, and his wife Sharon into the public eye as well. His other daughter Aimee Rachel Osbourne declined to participate in the show.

In his lifetime, he became a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, multiple GRAMMY Award winner, and even a WWE Hall of Fame inductee. His list of accolades is endless.

Near the end, Ozzy’s health issues had become a hindrance to doing what he truly loved — performing to crowds all over the world. Having been battling Parkinson’s Disease for some time, along with the well-documented physical ailments caused by past accidents, Ozzy’s deteriorating health forced him to cancel entire tours and appearances. He’d publicly talked about the difficulties he experienced in trying to get around, let alone perform. Sadly, his final show in Birmingham showcased his physical restrictions as he sang seated on a huge throne the whole time. Still, his voice still managed to pack a wallop, even if at times he couldn’t quite belt out the notes like he used to. He still performed for the throngs of fans in direct defiance of his physical maladies.

Today’s news weighs heavily on all of us, just as it did with the passing of other legends like Ronnie James Dio and Lemmy Kilmister. It’s a reminder that our legends are, in fact, mortal. That they will all pass on, as we all will as well. The key isn’t to dwell on the fact that they’re no longer with us, but to live blissfully with the knowledge that we all lived at the same time as such a monolithic talent and personality.

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