Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76, according to a statement from his family.
The BBC reports that the Prince Of Darkness, who helped to pioneer heavy metal with his work in Black Sabbath, passed away this morning (July 22). No cause of death has been given.
The Osbournes say in a 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.”
Im sure we all share their grief with the loss of the man who was instrumental to the creation of heavy metal. Our hearts go out to Sharon and his family.
Osbourne’s death come mere weeks after he played his retirement show: an all-day extravaganza called Back To The Beginning, held at Villa Park in his hometown of Birmingham on July 5. The concert saw the singer play both a four-song solo set and a five-song set with the other founding members of Black Sabbath: guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.
The bill at Back To The Beginning was rounded out by such rock and metal superstar as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Anthrax and Slayer. All proceeds from the event are going to various Birmingham charities and a concert film is coming out in cinemas next year.
Osbourne co-founded Black Sabbath in 1968 and made eight albums with the group before splitting from them in 1979. He then launched a successful solo career, which kicked off with the 1980 album Blizzard Of Ozz. Osbourne returned to Sabbath from 1997 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2017.