Latest news with #rock legend
Russia Today
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Rock icon Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76
British rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, the charismatic frontman of Black Sabbath who helped shape the sound and legacy of heavy metal, has died at 76, his family announced on Tuesday. No cause of death was given, though Osbourne had battled numerous health issues in recent years. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and suffered complications from a 2019 accident, among other ailments. '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,' the statement says. His death comes less than three weeks after his retirement from performing live. On July 5, Osbourne took the stage one final time with his Black Sabbath bandmates at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK, marking their first reunion since 2005. The all-star farewell concert – 'Back to the Beginning' – featured some of metal music's biggest names. 'I've been laid up for six years, and you've got no idea how I feel,' Osbourne told the crowd, referring to his long battle with Parkinson's and multiple spinal surgeries. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart.' Born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948 to factory-worker parents, he endured a tough upbringing and left school at 15. Before finding fame, he worked a string of jobs, including as a manual laborer, plumber, and at a slaughterhouse. He went on to become a pioneering figure in heavy metal with Black Sabbath before achieving major solo success. He was known for iconic tracks such as 'Iron Man', 'Paranoid', 'War Pigs', 'Crazy Train' and 'Changes'. Osbourne, long known as the 'Prince of Darkness,' launched a solo career shortly after leaving Black Sabbath. His debut album 'Blizzard of Ozz,' released in 1980, went five times platinum in the US and ushered in a wildly successful run. He released 13 studio albums in total, the most recent being 'Patient Number 9' in 2022. Osbourne was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and the US Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame – both with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist. He earned a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham's Broad Street, won five Grammys, and even became a reality TV star. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and their three children, as well as two children from a previous marriage, and also several grandchildren.
CTV News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Looking back at the life and legacy of Ozzy Osbourne
Video Music commentator Eric Alper takes a look back at the lengthy career and impact rock legend Ozzy Osbourne had on heavy metal music.
CBS News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Patriots honor Ozzy Osbourne following death of rock legend
While the New England Patriots operate in the sports world, the franchise joined the land of heavy metal Tuesday in mourning the loss of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne. Osbourne, the former front man of Black Sabbath and the Godfather of heavy metal, died at the age of 76 on Tuesday. Though he hailed from the UK, Osbourne has had a special connection to New England's football team for the last two decades. For over 20 years, the Patriots have taken the field on game day to Black Sabbath's "Crazy Train." Throughout the franchise's dynastic run, Tom Brady sprinted down the field with the heavy metal hit blaring in the background and fired up fans with one of his patented fist-pumps. It was quite the 1-2 punch to get New Englanders ready and pumped for that day's game. Shortly after news of Osbourne's passing broke Tuesday, the Patriots took to X to post a tribute to the rock legend. "The New England Patriots are saddened to learn of the passing of music legend Ozzy Osbourne, who provided the iconic intro for Patriots games for over 20 years," the team posted. "Condolences to his family and all who mourn his loss." While Osbourne and Black Sabbath never played a concert at Gillette Stadium, he made a special appearance at the home of the Patriots in 2005 when he helped the team raise its 2004 Super Bowl banner with a live pre-game performance of "Crazy Train." The Patriots went out and beat the Oakland Raiders, 30-20, that night to open the 2005 NFL season.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath frontman and icon of British heavy metal, dies aged 76
Ozzy Osbourne, whose gleeful 'Prince of Darkness' image made him one of the most iconic rock frontmen of all time, has died aged 76. A statement from the Osbourne family reads: '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.' No cause of death was given, though Osbourne had experienced various forms of ill health in recent years. Osbourne was one of the most notorious figures in rock: an innovator whose eerie wail helped usher in heavy metal, a showman who once bit the head off a bat on stage, an addict whose substance abuse led him to attempt to murder his wife, and latterly, a reality TV star much loved for his bemusement at family life on The Osbournes. His death comes less than three weeks after his retirement from performance. On 5 July, Osbourne reunited with his original bandmates in the pioneering group Black Sabbath for the first time since 2005, for Back to the Beginning: an all-star farewell concert featuring some of the biggest names in metal. 'I've been laid up for six years, and you've got no idea how I feel,' he told the crowd that night, referring to extensive health issues including a form of Parkinson's and numerous surgeries on his spine. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart.' He was born John Michael Osbourne in Aston, Birmingham, in 1948, the son of a pair of factory workers. He had a tough upbringing. As well as living in relative poverty, aged 11 he was repeatedly sexually abused by two boys: 'It was terrible … It seemed to go on for ever,' he told the Mirror in 2003. He was also jailed for burglary: 'I was no good at that. Fucking useless,' he admitted in 2014. This industrial working-class environment fed into the sound of Osbourne's defining musical project, Black Sabbath, whose heavy sound revolutionised British rock music. 'We wanted to put how we thought about the world at the time,' the band's bassist, Geezer Butler, said in 2017. 'We didn't want to write happy pop songs. We gave that industrial feeling to it.' Named after a Boris Karloff horror movie, the band, also featuring Tony Iommi on guitar and Bill Ward on drums, released their self-titled debut in 1970, followed by further albums regarded as foundation stones of the heavy-metal genre. Paranoid (1970) featured the strutting anthems Iron Man and War Pigs and topped the UK album chart, while the cacophonous, psychedelic sound of Master of Reality (1971) remains a huge influence on the slower sound of doom metal. Osbourne recorded a further five acclaimed albums with the group, but became so dependent on alcohol and drugs that he was fired in 1979, and replaced by Ronnie James Dio. Osbourne eventually returned to the band for the 2013 album 13, which topped the charts in the US and UK. Black Sabbath also went on tour, playing their final concert in Birmingham on 4 February 2017. Osbourne went solo shortly after leaving Black Sabbath, and beginning with Blizzard of Ozz – which went five times platinum in the US – released 11 studio albums, the most recent being 2020's Ordinary Man. It featured collaborations with young rap artists Post Malone and Travis Scott, as well as a guest spot from Elton John. The most notorious incident involving Osbourne happened in 1982, when he bit off the head of a dead bat he believed to be a stage prop while performing in Des Moines, Iowa. He later went to hospital to receive a precautionary rabies inoculation. He also claimed – and this was corroborated by his one-time publicist Mick Wall – to have bitten the heads off two doves during a 1981 record label meeting that went sour, having originally intended to release the birds as a sign of peace. In the 80s and 90s, he had occasional UK Top 40 hits, including Bark at the Moon (1983) and Perry Mason (1995). He eventually hit No 1 in 2003 with Changes, a duet with his daughter Kelly, 40. Osbourne has two other children with wife Sharon – Jack, 39, and Aimee, 41 – and two with first wife, Thelma – Jessica and Louis. His marriage to Thelma had deteriorated because of his alcoholism, and he later admitted he couldn't remember Jessica and Louis being born. In 1982, he married Sharon, who had begun managing his solo career after the pair met three years earlier. Her business acumen paired with his enduring popularity helped them accrue huge wealth. Ozzfest, the metal music festival founded by Sharon in 1996, toured the US most years and also had outings in the UK and Japan. In 1989, he was arrested for attempting to murder Sharon by strangling her while drunk. He recounted the incident in a 2007 interview: 'I woke up in this little single cell with human shit up the walls – and I thought, 'What the fuck have I done now?' … [A police officer] read me a piece of paper, and said, 'You're charged with attempting to murder Mrs Sharon Osbourne.' I can't tell you how I felt. I just went numb.' The couple later reconciled, though briefly split again in 2016 after Ozzy was unfaithful with a hair stylist. Ozzy and Sharon, along with Kelly and Jack, appeared in the reality TV series The Osbournes from 2002 to 2005. A fly-on-the-wall documentary series that followed the family's domestic life – complete with dog therapists, 'vagina doctors' and an endless stream of imaginative bad language from everyone – it became a ratings hit, and, in 2002, the second ever winner of the Emmy award for outstanding reality programme. Ozzy broke his neck, collarbone and ribs in a quad biking accident at his Buckinghamshire home in 2003. Sharon later said he had stopped breathing for a minute and a half 'and there was no pulse'; he was also told he was almost paralysed by the accident. In 2005, he was diagnosed with Parkin syndrome, which causes bodily tremors. In 2013, following years of sobriety, he admitted he had been drinking and taking drugs for a year and a half, but was committed to becoming sober again, saying: 'I was in a very dark place and was an asshole to the people I love most, my family.' In 2019, Osbourne performed what was billed as his final world tour, entitled No More Tours 2. (He first announced his retirement in 1992 with the No More Tours tour, but later reversed his decision.) Illness forced him to postpone the European dates in 2020. 'It just seems that since October, everything I touch has turned to shit,' he said in an apologetic statement – he had also spent time in hospital to receive treatment for an infection in his hand. In 2020 he announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's, and in 2022 had surgery on his spine, having suffered a fall in 2019 that exacerbated the earlier quad biking injuries. In 2023, he cancelled a UK and Europe tour due to being 'physically weak', describing 'three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) treatment.' Osbourne became depressed amid the extensive treatment, as he described in a May 2025 interview with the Guardian. 'You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong. You begin to think this is never going to end,' he said. 'Sharon could see that I was in Doom Town, and she says to me, 'I've got an idea.' It was something to give me a reason to get up in the morning.' This was the Back to the Beginning concert held at Villa Park in Birmingham, which saw Osbourne reunite with Butler, Iommi and Ward for a four-song set, following a five-song solo set. Osbourne performed seated in a bat-adorned throne, but put in a spirited performance, telling the audience at one point: 'I am Iron Man: go fucking crazy!' The concert also featured performances by legends including Metallica, Slayer and Guns N' Roses. Elton John was among those paying tribute to Osbourne, writing: '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.'
The Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Ozzy Osbourne joined Black Sabbath on stage for poignant final show weeks before death aged 76
OZZY Osbourne joined Black Sabbath on stage for a poignant final show just weeks before his death aged 76. The rock legend arrived on stage at Villa Park in Birmingham, dressed in his trademark black in what was his last ever performance earlier this month. 7 7 7 7 The crowd were heard roaring with excitement as the rock legend sat entered for the historic gig on July 5. Ozzy sang with his fellow founding fathers of heavy metal while seated on a black bat throne. His performance at the show, Called Back To The Beginning, was sadly the rock veteran's last time performing on stage. It comes after Ozzy's sad death was announced today, following the star's brave battle against Parkinson's disease. The crowd was delighted to see the iconic rocker back on stage this month and kept chanting his name. Ozzy was equally thrilled to be performing, and repeatedly broke out into a massive grin. The gig was already being touted as "the greatest heavy metal show ever" ahead of Saturday and Ozzy played a short five-song set reuniting with his bandmates Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward. It was the first time in 20 years that the original Black Sabbath line-up have performed together. Ozzy had heartbreakingly vowed it would be his final performance due to his deteriorating health. He went public with his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2020. Back To The Beginning also featured a mega line-up of fellow rock stars, performing their own sets and as a super-group, and all the profits made will be going to charity. Ozzy Osbourne top five greatest moments The money will be shared equally between Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice. Metallica and Slayer were on the line-up for main sets as they celebrated Ozzy's remarkable legacy at his final show. Pantera, Gojira, Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Lamb Of God, Anthrax, and Mastodon also played at the show. Ozzy previously talked on the Sirius XM radio show in the US about his condition. He said: 'I have made it to 2025. I can't walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? "For all my complaining, I'm still alive. 'I may be moaning that I can't walk but I look down the road and there's people that didn't do half as much as me and didn't make it.' Black Sabbath have sold more than 75million records since forming in 1968, while Ozzy has also released 13 solo albums. In 1970, the group gained a cult following in both the US and UK after releasing their eponymous first album. The group later became known as Black Sabbath and went onto shatter the music world with their whining guitar solos, Occult-based lyrics and Ozzy's screeching vocals. Ozzy Osbourne's iconic career The singer then pursued his love of music after hearing The Beatles hit She Loves You in 1963, aged 15. After appearing in a handful of school plays, Ozzy joined Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler in their first group Rare Breed in 1967. When that band split, the pair reunited in Polka Tulk Blues alongside Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. The group later became known as Black Sabbath and went onto shatter the music world with their whining guitar solos, Occult-based lyrics and Ozzy's screeching vocals. In 1970, the group gained a cult following in both the US and UK after releasing their eponymous first album. Black Sabbath saw incredible success with hit tracks such as Paranoid but discord in the group saw most of the original line-up leave. Ozzy himself quit the band in 1978, with a spiral into drug abuse leading to a divorce from first wife Thelma Mayfair, who he had two children with. It was then he first met a young Sharon Arden, who Ozzy at first wrote off as he believed she would think he was a "lunatic". But the singer could not be more wrong and the pair married in Hawaii in July 1982 before going on to have three children together, Aimee, Kelly and Jack. With Sharon's encouragement and help from her music manager dad Don, he began to carve out a successful solo career. His seminal first album Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 became a multi-platinum success thanks to Ozzy's howling vocals and macabre laugh on hit Crazy Train. Coupled with the Prince of Darkness' insane tour that saw him bite the head off a live bat, a string of successful tracks followed - cementing Ozzy as a rock legend around the world. In 1992, the singer announced his retirement but four years later created the beloved annual music festival Ozzfest with Sharon, which featured heavy metal acts touring the US and some of Europe. Ozzy returned to Black Sabbath in 1999, with the band winning a Grammy for best metal performance for the song Iron Man. They later earned the same award in 2013 after releasing single God Is Dead? from album 13. 7 7 7
