Godfather of heavy metal: Ozzy Osbourne dies
Entertainment
He became known as the godfather of heavy metal
(Web Desk) - Heavy metal star Ozzy Osbourne has died aged 76, just weeks after reuniting with his Black Sabbath bandmates and performing a huge farewell concert for fans.
In a statement, his family said: "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."
Born John Michael Osbourne on 3 December 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, he became known as the godfather of heavy metal.
The self-styled Prince of Darkness pioneered the music genre with Black Sabbath before going on to have huge success in his own right.
He was famous for hits including Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, Crazy Train and Changes, both with the band and as a solo star.
Black Sabbath's eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of tracks.
They went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide.
The singer also found a different kind of fame thanks to noughties MTV reality show The Osbournes, which followed the Birmingham-raised star's somewhat chaotic life in Los Angeles with wife Sharon and two of their children, Kelly and Jack.
And he was also known for the famous anecdotes of hellraising during his rock star heyday - most infamously, the tale of how he bit the head off a bat while on stage.
Black Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs.
"We knew we didn't really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation," wrote bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler in his memoir Into The Void.
Osbourne re-emerged the next year as a solo artist with his album Blizzard of Ozz. In 1981, he released his second album Diary Of A Madman - both were hard rock classics that went multiplatinum.
He had Parkinson's disease and had suffered other health problems in recent years, including complications from injuries sustained in a fall in 2019.
After being forced to cancel tour shows, he made a one-off surprise appearance on stage in Birmingham to close the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
The Villa Park gig was announced earlier this year by Sharon, who said he was determined to give fans the "perfect farewell".
