Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary Black Sabbath frontman and heavy metal icon, died Tuesday, July 22, at age 76, just weeks after performing his final farewell concert. The Thames Valley Air Ambulance confirmed they dispatched a helicopter to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, where Osbourne lived with his family.
According to Thames Valley Air Ambulance, their helicopter was dispatched at 10:30 a.m. local time on July 22. Medical personnel spent approximately two hours at the family home providing advanced critical care before departing at 12:30 p.m. Despite the emergency response efforts, Osbourne passed away that morning, surrounded by his family.
The Osbourne family announced his death in a statement released the same day. Family members Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee, and Louis expressed that “he was with his family and surrounded by love” and requested privacy during this time. His death has not been referred to the county coroner, according to reports.
Osbourne’s death came just 17 days after his final performance with Black Sabbath at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on July 5. The farewell concert, titled “Back to the Beginning,” marked the first Black Sabbath reunion performance in 20 years, featuring original members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. The star-studded event also included performances by Metallica and Guns N’ Roses, raising $190 million for several UK charities, including Cure Parkinson’s.
During the farewell show, Osbourne performed from a throne due to his mobility issues, telling the 42,000 fans in attendance that they had no idea how he felt and thanking them from the bottom of his heart. The concert was billed as his “final bow” and served as an emotional goodbye to his decades-long career.
The rock legend had battled numerous health challenges in recent years. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2003 but did not publicly disclose the diagnosis until January 2020. In 2019, he suffered a fall at his Los Angeles home that dislodged metal rods in his spine from a previous 2003 ATV accident. The fall required surgery and aggravated his existing spinal injury.
Osbourne had described his health struggles as five years of absolute hell for him and his family. Medical experts note that while Parkinson’s disease itself is not fatal, it can lead to life-threatening complications, including aspiration pneumonia, which accounts for 70 percent of deaths among Parkinson’s disease patients. Other complications include malnutrition, blood clots, falls, and dementia.
Following his death, daughter Kelly Osbourne broke her silence on social media, posting lyrics from the Black Sabbath song “Changes” to express her grief. She described losing the best friend she ever had. Jack Osbourne’s ex-wife, Lisa Stelly, also paid tribute, sharing photos of Osbourne with his grandchildren and noting that while the world got Ozzy, they got “Papa.”
Osbourne and his wife Sharon had moved to their Buckinghamshire home in 2023, fulfilling Sharon’s long-held desire to return to England. A source indicated that Sharon’s deepest hope was fulfilled, as Osbourne’s final days were spent in England surrounded by family, music, and in the place he called home, where he was at peace.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, in Aston, Birmingham, he became known as the godfather of heavy metal. Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album in 1970 reached the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of successful releases. The band sold more than 75 million albums worldwide and became one of the most influential metal bands of all time.
After being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his excessive behavior, Osbourne launched a successful solo career with his 1980 album “Blizzard of Ozz.” He later found different fame through the MTV reality show “The Osbournes,” which followed his chaotic family life in Los Angeles with Sharon and their children Kelly and Jack.
Throughout his career, Osbourne was inducted into both the UK Music Hall of Fame and the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – once with Black Sabbath and once as a solo artist. He received five Grammy wins from 12 nominations and earned a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham’s Broad Street.
Tributes poured in from across the music industry following news of his death. Elton John described his dear friend as a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods. Metallica posted a photo with Osbourne accompanied by a broken heart emoji, while various artists acknowledged his lasting impact on rock and heavy metal music.
Osbourne is survived by his wife Sharon and six children: Aimee, Kelly, and Jack from his marriage to Sharon, and Jessica, Louis, and Elliot from his first marriage to Thelma Riley. He also leaves behind several grandchildren who knew him as “Papa.”