(NEXSTAR) – Ozzy Osbourne, the heavy metal legend whose style, persona and unpredictability transcended the music world, died Tuesday at the age of 76.
“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,” his family said in a statement.
U.S. rock singer Ozzy Osbourne poses in Los Angeles, Ca. on Dec. 21, 1981. Osbourne was the lead singer with the Black Sabbath band from 1969-1978. His first solo album, “Blizzard of Ozz,” sold over a million copies. (AP Photo/Douglas Pizac) 
British heavy metal rock star Ozzy Osbourne performs at Rock in Rio, billed as the biggest rock music festival ever, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Jan. 20,1985. The 10-day event drew more than one million people. (AP Photo/Miro Nunes) 
British Heavy Metal band, Black Sabbath lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, center, and guitarist Tony Iommi, right, perform on a massive outdoor stage during the Live Aid concert for famine relief at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa. July 13,1985.(AP Photo/stf) 
Singer Ozzy Osbourne appears at news conference to tell reporters that his song “Suicide Solution” was misinterpreted and is anti-suicide, in Los Angeles on Jan. 21, 1986. (AP Photo/Lacy Atkins) 
Ozzy Osbourne, British rock musician, is shown on Oct. 27, 1988 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) 
British rock musician Ozzy Osbourne reacts to fans and the media as he arrives at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City for Mariah Carey’s wedding to SONY President Thomas Mottola, Saturday evening, June 5, 1993. (AP Photo/Mike Alexander) 
Rocker Ozzy Osbourne greets fans at Tower Records in downtown Manhattan, New York, Sept. 17, 1991 while kicking off the release of his new album “No More Tears.” Osbourne surprised the crowd of some 200 people gathered at the store to purchase the long awaited Guns and Roses albums “Illusion I” and “Illusion II” which went on sale at midnight. (AP Photo/Luiz Ribeiro) 
Heavy metal rock star Ozzy Osbourne poses at the Peninsula Hotel in New York, July 27, 2000. (AP Photo/Jeff Geissler) 
The Osbourne family pose as they arrive at the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday, Sept. 22, 2002, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. From left are Kelly, Ozzy, Sharon, Robert Marcato and Jack. Marcato is an 18-year-old friend of Kelly’s who recently moved in with the family after his mother died of the same type of cancer afflicting Sharon. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch) 
Cut-outs of bats are dropped from the ceiling as Ozzy Osbourne performs during the VH1 Rock Honors concert at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 12, 2007. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) 
British musician Ozzy Osbourne, left, and British born guitarist Slash are served High Tea before the Classic Rock awards in central London, Monday, Nov. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan) 
Ozzy Osbourne speaks onstage at iHeartRadio ICONS with Ozzy Osbourne: In Celebration of Ordinary Man at iHeartRadio Theater on February 24, 2020 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia ) 
British rock star Ozzy Osbourne, left, known for the Gothic and horror themes he uses in his act, performs, Jan. 17, 1985 at the Rock in Rio music festival in Brazil. (AP Photo)
Osbourne, who revealed in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, had just reunited with the original Black Sabbath lineup in July 2025 in the U.K. for what he said would be his final concert.
“Let the madness begin!” he told 42,000 assembled fans at the show. Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon also performed.
Osbourne will of course be remembered for hits that include “Crazy Train,” “Goodbye to Romance,” “Flying High Again,” “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” “Fairies Wear Boots, “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll,” and many more, but his breakneck lifestyle and headline-grabbing antics made him a household name for many who weren’t fans of his music.
Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head off a live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)
Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19-year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song “Suicide Solution.” The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC.
Then-Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne’s songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. “You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,” the singer wrote back. “You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.”
Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer. They would often be hectored to scream along with the song, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty “God bless!”
Osbourne is survived by his longtime wife, Sharon, with whom he had three children – Kelly Aimee and Jack. He is also survived by his two older children from a prior marriage with Thelma Riley, daughter Jessica and son Louis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.