The Black Sabbath frontman has died just weeks after he reunited with his bandmates at Villa Park
19:16, 22 Jul 2025Updated 20:40, 22 Jul 2025
Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76
Heavy metal star Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76, his family have announced. The news comes just weeks after he performed for the final time with Black Sabbath.
A statement from his family said: “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.
“Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.”
He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019. Follow updates as tributes pour in from fellow musicians and fans, here.
Osbourne leaves behind his wife, Sharon, and their children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack, as well his two older children, Jessica and Louis, from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, and grandchildren.
The rock superstar bid farewell to fans with a Black Sabbath reunion in his final ever live performance on Saturday, July 5.
Ozzy Osbourne with with wife Sharon in 2015(Image: Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
The legendary rocker told thousands of heavy metal enthusiasts at Villa Park, Birmingham – a stone’s throw from where Black Sabbath was formed in 1968 – that it was “so good to be on this stage” as he performed his last set from a large black throne.
Osbourne and his fellow original Black Sabbath members – Tony Iommi, Terence “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward – were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert.
The gig raised £140m for charity, according to the event’s musical director Tom Morello. The money was to be split between Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Cure Parkinson’s, and Midlands-based Acorns Children’s Hospice.
Among the bands performing were Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N’Roses, and there were messages of thanks from other celebrities, including Jack Black, Ricky Gervais and Dolly Parton.
Osbourne said he planned to continue to record music, but that the concert marked the end for him performing live.
The 76-year-old, nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, entered the stage for the final time by rising on his throne through a trap door.
He said: “It’s so good to be on this f****** stage. You have no idea. I f****** love you all. Let me see your hands in the air. You are the best, each and every one of you. God bless you all.”
In an emotional moment, Ozzy said: “I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.
“You’re all f****** special. Let’s go crazy, come on.”
Ozzy Osbourne on stage in 2022(Image: Getty Images)
The rocker – who wore his signature black attire and thick eye makeup – sang five songs in his own set, with fans waving torches from their phones during Mama, I’m Coming Home.
After a short break, he re-entered the stage to join the rest of Black Sabbath – for the first time in 20 years – in a special reunion. Fans chanted “Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy” as the rock legend thanked and blew kisses to those in attendance, before departing in an emotional ending to cap off an illustrious career on stage.
Osbourne married his first wife Thelma Riley in 1971 and became a stepfather to her son. The couple also had two children but split in 1982 after, he admitted, his rock ‘n roll lifestyle meant he put her “through hell”.
He married Sharon, the daughter of his former Black Sabbath manager Don Arden, in July of that year. The pair had met in the 1970s via her father and she took over managing Osbourne after he was booted from the heavy metal group.
Ozzy and Sharon had three children together: Jack, Kelly and Aimee. The couple became an unlikely hit after starring between 2002 and 2005 in The Osbournes, which also launched the careers of Jack and Kelly, but the pair temporarily split in 2016.
Former X Factor judge Sharon later revealed they had tried marriage counselling to get their relationship back on track – but gave up because it made him angry. In 2017, during an interview with music magazine Rolling Stone, he joked that the secret to his marriage was “don’t get caught with your mistress”.
He is quoted as telling Rolling Stone: “When I was a crazy f*****, I’m lucky she didn’t walk out. Now I’m coming on five years clean and sober, and I’ve realised what a f****** idiot I was. I mean, I’m still nuts, but in control of it a bit more.”
Osbourne added: “When I said, ‘Don’t get caught by your missus,’ I’m not proud of all that s***. I upset my wife and I upset my family and I made a lot of shock and shame. I love my wife, and it made me realise what a f****** idiot I’ve been.”
In his later years Osbourne attempted to press on with his rock career, but was hampered several times by illness and injury.
Another blow came in January 2020 when the singer revealed on US television that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which was discovered by doctors after a fall. Sharon, who was at his side during the Good Morning America interview, said the diagnosis was “not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination”.
During his career, Osbourne was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and the US Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame – twice for both, with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist. He was one of the few to be given the honour.
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