Less than 3 weeks after performing a massive “farewell” concert, heavy metal star Ozzy Osbourne has passed away.

In a statement released by his family it was confirmed that the seventy-six-year-old Black Sabbath legend had died “surrounded by love”, with them adding: “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 rock singer had suffered many health issues, including complications that arose from injuries he sustained in a fall back in 2019. Then in 2020 his celebrity wife Sharon explained that Ozzy had been diagnosed with Parkin 2, which is a degenerative form of Parkinson’s disease.

Osbourne rose to fame back in the seventies during which time he was given the nickname “Prince of Darkness”, a tag that stayed with him for the remainder of his days. He also had great solo success and became famous for his hell-raising activities that included a story he often told of how he once bit the head off a bat!

In addition his family were featured in a reality TV series titled “The Osbournes” which followed his disorganized life at home in Los Angeles, which drew a large fan base.

After his health problems became public he made a very popular surprise appearance at the 2022 closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, in his home city of Birmingham. He was known to be thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver one final “farewell” performance which was billed as “Back to the Beginning” when he and his original bandmates returned to a stage at Aston Villa’s football ground, Villa Park on 5 July.

It was streamed live to an audience of 5.8 million people and Ozzy – unable to stand because of his Parkinson’s – performed seated on a black throne. Afterwards the rocker said: “You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

The iconic performer sold over 100 million albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Sabbath in 2006, and then again for his solo work in 2024. In 2015 he received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors to go with his five Grammy wins.