Ozzy Osbourne died, the “Prince of Darkness” who invented Heavy Metal

He had time to greet his audience for the last time. Just a few days ago – it was July 5, 2025 – in the Villa Park stadium, in Birmingham: i Black Sabbath they had returned together for one last, memorable concert entitled Back to the Beginning. Ozzy – Sitting on a throne, visibly proven but still magnetic – he had sang in front of tens of thousands of fans. A moving farewell, solemn, full of gratitude. Today, John Michael «Ozzy» Osbourne He passed away in his home. I had 76 years. The family announced death with a short press release, asking respect and privacy in this moment of pain. Around him, at the time of the end, there were the most expensive affections.

Born in 1948 in Birmingham, the young Ozzy grows between the smoke of the factories and a school that had never been easy for him: dyslexia, early abandonment and even some trouble with justice make him a grass outsider. When in 1969 he decided to found the Black Sabbath with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, he still does not imagine that that quartet would have been printing a metal masterpiece: songs like Paranoid And Iron Man The history of rock will change forever.

The fame is dotted with excesses: alcohol, drugs, sensational accidents such as the one in quad in 2003, a long series of interventions on the spine. And also the unforgettable bull on the bat On stage, which consecrates him as a scandalous icon of rock. But Ozzy has always returned: fired by the Sabbath in 1979 because of his addictions, in 1980 he started from scratch with zero Blizzard of Ozzwhich becomes a planetary success, sealed by immortal hits such as Crazy Train.

Next to music, Ozzy builds her pop image: in the 2000s The OsbournesThe reality show In the family with Sharon and the children, he reveals in the world an unexpected side of the Prince of Darkness, an unlikely man of the house in the bathrobe.

But the Health He begins to really test him: since 2019 he lives with the Parkinson’swhich slowly forces him to live in a wheelchair, without ever losing his voice – and the hope of climbing on stage once again. This is how, on July 5, 2025, the Sabbaths return together in their stadium in Villa Park, in Birmingham, for a moving “back to the beginning”: Ozzy sings on a throne, surrounded by tens of thousands of fans and by celebrities such as Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Yungblud. An epic farewell. It is philanthropic, with all the proceeds donated to research on Parkinson’s and to children’s associations.

A few days later, in his home, the end awaits him: a scene on tiptoe, surrounded by the dearest affections. Ozzy Osbourne went out, but left a strong mark: over 100 million records sold between bands and solo career, two entrances to the rock and roll hall of hunger (2006 and 2024), billions of notes that still define the sound of metal.

Today the world of rock greets one of its most disruptive protagonists. That boy from Birmingham who dreamed of a microphone in his hand, challenging adversity, bullying, poverty, is today legend.