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Just a few weeks ago\u2014on July 5, 2025\u2014Black Sabbath got back together for one last, memorable concert at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham. Ozzy Osbourne\u2014seated on a throne, visibly unwell but still magnetic\u2014sang before tens of thousands of fans. Now, John Michael \u201cOzzy\u201d Osbourne has passed away in his home. He was 76 years old. The family announced his death in a brief statement, asking for respect and privacy at this time of grief.<\/p>\n
Born in 1948 in Birmingham, young Ozzy grew up among the fumes of factories, and school was never easy for him; he had dyslexia, dropped out early, and even had some trouble with the law, making him a budding outsider. When he decided to start Black Sabbath in 1969 with Tony Iommi,<\/strong> Geezer Butler,<\/strong> and Bill Ward,<\/strong> Osbourne did not yet imagine that that quartet would change rock history forever with songs like \u201cIron Man\u201d and \u201cParanoid.\u201d<\/p>\n Fame often comes with excesses, and such was the case for Osbourne: He was a heavy user of alcohol and drugs, and suffered sensational accidents that forced him to undergo a long series of spinal surgeries. By biting the head off a live bat onstage, he established himself as a scandalous rock icon. After being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his addictions, he started from scratch in 1980 with Blizzard of Ozz,<\/em> an album that became a worldwide hit\u2014a status sealed by immortal hits like \u201cCrazy Train.\u201d<\/p>\n