Ozzy Ozbourne by Black Sabbath dies, weeks after the farewell show

Ozzy Osbourne, one of the most recognizable and influential musicians in rock, died at the age of 76.

As a singer of Black Sabbath, the musician born in Birmingham is recognized for inventing the Heavy Metal, thanks to songs like Iron Man and Paranoid.

Less than three weeks ago, the so-called “Prince of Darkness” made a farewell concert in his hometown, supported by many musicians he had inspired, notably Metallica and Guns ‘N’ Roses.

In a statement, his family said: “It is with more sadness that simple words cannot reveal that we must point out that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne died this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.”

Born John Michael Osbourne, he abandoned the age of 15, occupying several low -wage jobs and spending a short launch in prison for burglary before embarking on his musical career.

After singing with several local groups, he joined Black Sabbath alongside guitarist Tony Iommi, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward in the late 1960s.

They developed a unique sound, inspired by the blues but slower, stronger and more sinister – with frequent references to the occult.

Considered pioneers from Heavy Metal, they released their eponymous album in 1970 and followed it with Platinum discs such as paranoid and master of reality throughout the decade.

Firie of the group in 1978, he launched a successful solo career with the 1980 Blizzard of Ozz album, with the Single Crazy Tradition.

The following year, the newspaper of a madman was even more popular, selling more than five million copies.

Along the way, Osbourne developed a reputation for his lively performances that were open, illustrated by the story (perhaps apocryphal) that he had once bit the head of a bat during a concert, after having wrongly thought that it was a toy thrown on stage by a fan.

Its consumption of drinks and drugs was legendary, leading to unusual behavior. The Rock Motley Raw group described once how Osbourne, in a competition to see whose habits were the most debauched, sniff a line of ants from a floor of the hotel.

But in the 1990s, its wild image turned thanks to the MTV the Osbournes reality TV show – which portrayed the star as well as the well -intentioned patriarch, often confusing an unruly household.

The show also made stars of his manager -woman Sharon Osbourne, and his daughter Kelly – with whom he duo on a top version of the Chanson de la Chanson du Sabbat Change, reaching number one in 2003.

The same year, however, he suffered a spine injury in 2003 after an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle or a mountain bike.

The injury was exacerbated by a fall at the end of the evening in 2019, which required several in -depth surgery cycles.

In 2020, the star revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson and greatly fell from the tour after playing the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

However, he was determined to make a final appearance, losing with the concert last month at Birmingham’s Villa Park – a stone throwing of his childhood house in Aston.

The musician sang while sitting on a black throne – applauding, waving his arms and taking wild looks while playing hits, including a crazy train, Mr. Crowley and the war pigs

He seemed overwhelmed at certain times. “You have no idea what I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he told the public-and nearly six million more people who have passed for the live flow.

Speaking on stage, the singer of Pantera, Phil Anselmo, said that the artists of the bill “would all be different people” without Osbourne and Black Sabbath.

“This is the truth. I would not be here with this microphone in my hand without black sabbath. The biggest of all time.”