Ozzy Osbourne, the storied Black Sabbath lead singer known as much for his excesses and bizarre onstage antics as his pioneering heavy metal music, has died in London.
Bedeviled by health issues for years, Osbourne died Tuesday morning, his family announced in a statement- he was 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,” the family said in a statement released by Osbourne’s publicist.
Osbourne announced in early 2020 that he’d been diagnosed nearly a year earlier with Parkinson’s disease, just the latest but by far the most serious ailment that over his career had repeatedly forced him to cancel public appearances, delay releasing new material and scrap concerts, including his own retirement tour.
