Ozzy Osbourne, frontman of Black Sabbath and legend of British metal, dies aged 76

Ozzy Osbourne, whose gleeful "prince of darkness" image made him one of the most notorious rock frontmen of all time, has died aged 76.

- Ben Beaumont-Thomas

A statement from the Osbourne family 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." No cause of death was given.

Osbourne had experienced various forms of ill health in recent years.

He 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 as a performer. 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 operations on his spine.

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, at age 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 said in 2014.