“Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76 Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76. The music legend’s family confirmed the news in a statement earlier today, sharing that he died this morning – weeks after his final performance. The message, from his wife Sharon Osbourne and their three”, — write: metro.co.uk
Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76 Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76.
The music legend’s family confirmed the news in a statement earlier today, sharing that he died this morning – weeks after his final performance.
The message, from his wife Sharon Osbourne and their three children – Kelly, Jack and Aimee, read: ‘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.’
Ozzy’s cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but he had been open about his devastating battle with Parkinson’s over the last few years.
Ozzy’s family shared the heartbreaking news in a statement (Picture: Getty) 
Ozzy and Sharon shared three children together (Picture: Wireimage) Tributes quickly poured in for the Paranoid singer on social media from other music giants.
The official Black Sabbath Instagram page shared a photo from their final performance, with the simple caption: ‘Ozzy forever.’
Gene Simmons tweeted: ‘Sad to report Ozzy has passed away. He was a giant. Admired and loved by millions of fans worldwide.
‘Prayers and condolences go out to the Osborne family.’
‘Man,,, real heart broken over the passing of OZZY OSBOURNE,,, we go way back and it was a real honor to watch him get inducted into the @rockhall last year, [sic]’ Flavor Flav posted.
Gene Simmons was among those paying tribute to Ozzy online (Picture: Getty) 
Sir Elton John also offered his condolences (Picture: Getty) ‘Sending my love and prayers to Sharon and his kids and whole family. RIP.’
The official Metallica account posted a picture of the group with Ozzy, simply captioned with a heartbroken emoji.
Sir Elton John posted on Instagram: ‘So sad to hear the news of @ozzyosbourne passing away. He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend.
‘He was also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love.’
Ozzy and Sharon got married in 1982 (Picture: Shutterstock) The sad news comes shortly after he performed with Black Sabbath for the final time.
At the beginning of the month, he took to the stage at Villa Park in Birmingham for the Back to the Beginning show, and delighted the crowd with a short solo.
During the all-day event, he was also joined on stage by bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.
‘It’s so good to be on this stage. You have no idea,’ he said, thanking those who had gathered at the stadium ‘from the bottom of [his] heart.
‘You have no idea how I feel.’
Ozzy recently performed on stage at Black Sabbath’s farewell gig 
The star had been battling a string of health issues (Picture: Getty) Music lovers gathered for the all-day concert, which also featured appearances by a string of other bands, including Metallica, Slayer, and Alice in Chains.
It was a bittersweet celebration for the rockers, after Ozzy faced a tough few years with health battles.
In January 2020, he revealed in an emotional interview that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s following a string of health complications due to a fall in 2019, which meant he had to have surgery on his neck.
Sharon explained that he had the Parkin 2 gene during an appearance on Good Morning America, stating: ‘It’s a form of Parkinson’s. There’s so many different types of Parkinson’s.
‘It’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does effect certain nerves in your body.
‘It’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day.’
‘I’m on a host of medications, mainly for this surgery,’ Ozzy added at the time. ‘I’ve got numbness down this arm from the surgery, my legs [keep] going cold.
‘I don’t know if that’s Parkinson’s or what. That’s the problem, because they cut nerves when they did the surgery. It’s a weird feeling.’
Ozzy spoke out over his heartbreaking health issues (Picture: Getty) He added that he was taking medication for his condition, and also seeking treatment in Switzerland.
In 2019, Ozzy suffered a string of illnesses and accidents, which began with hospitalisation for pneumonia.
Then, the reality star suffered a horror fall in his LA home, which dislodged the metal rods in his spine that had been put in after a quad-bike accident in 2003.
‘I went to the bathroom in the night, lost my balance and landed flat on my face,’ he told the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine at the time. ‘I saw this big white flash when I hit the floor and I thought, “You’ve finally done it now”.
‘I knew it was bad, I thought I was paralysed, so very calmly I said, “Sharon, I can’t move. I think I’ve done my neck. Phone an ambulance”.’
The musician had to undergo three operations following the fall, and had to spend Christmas away from Sharon and daughter Kelly as doctors advised he was not well enough to fly back to the UK.
Ozzy, real name John Michael Osbourne, rose to fame in the 1970s as the frontman of metal band Black Sabbath, during which time he was nicknamed The Prince Of Darkness.
The group went on to release tracks such as Paranoid, Iron Man and Changes.
His most infamous moment was in 1982 when he bit the head off a bat – believed to be dead at the time – while on stage at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 20.
The creature was launched at him from the audience by a fan and it was only after he had bitten into it that he realised it was a real animal. He was later rushed to hospital for a rabies injection.
To mark the occasion he released a plush bat with a velcro detachable head.
Away from the studio, Ozzy met Sharon in 1970, as her father served as the manager for Black Sabbath.
The former X Factor judge took over the managerial duties in 1979, with the pair tying the knot in Hawaii in 1982.
They went on to welcome children Aimee, Kelly and Jack together, while Ozzy also shares Jessica, Louis and Elliot from a previous marriage to Thelma Riley.
In a sweet moment after his last performance, Ozzy witnessed his youngest daughter get engaged to partner Sid Wilson, after the Slipknot icon got down on one knee backstage.
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