The ‘godfather of metal’, Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76

Ozzy Osbourne, the “prince of darkness” who shocked and awed with his heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has died aged 76.

- ROISIN O'CONNOR

News of his death was announced by his family. “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,” the family said in a statement.

For many years, fans felt that Osbourne must be indestructible. The “godfather of metal” had survived decades of hard living, including drug and alcohol abuse, along with controversies such as the notorious moment he bit the head off a bat during a concert in Des Moines, Iowa.

In his later life, however, he was a reformed wildman who suffered a string of health issues, mostly related to neck injuries sustained in a 2003 quad-biking accident, which were later exacerbated by a fall in 2019. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease that same year, and also endured a bout of Covid.

Born in Birmingham, England, to a factory worker mother and toolmaker father, Osbourne was raised with his five siblings in a small two-bedroom house in Aston. He suffered intense bullying and claimed he was repeatedly molested by bullies on the way home from school, which he left aged 15 to find local work as a horn-tuner in a car factory, and at a slaughterhouse. He also had a brief stint in prison after his father refused to pay the fine incurred when he was convicted of robbing a clothes shop.

His music career began in 1967, when he was recruited as lead vocalist for the band Rare Breed, who split after playing just two shows. Osbourne and his bandmate, Geezer Butler, then formed Earth with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, renaming themselves Black Sabbath after being booked by accident at a venue which wanted a different band with the same moniker.