Ozzy Osbourne of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath has passed away at the age of 76.
The news was announced in the early hours of July 23, 2025 (Wednesday, PHT) through the iconic singer’s official social media. “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,” stated Osbourne’s family in a collective statement, asking for privacy during this time. Years prior to his death, Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in February 2019, which made him lose his ability to walk.
Osbourne’s passing comes just weeks after Black Sabbath’s original lineup — composed of Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward — reunited one last time for a final show, with all proceeds being donated to charity. Dubbed ‘Back To The Beginning,’ the concert was held on July 5, 2025 (Saturday) at Villa Park in the band’s hometown of Birmingham, England, with Osbourne notably also performing a set featuring songs from his solo career.
Complete with a lineup composed of other heavy metal acts like Metallica, Slayer, and more, the show subsequently became the highest-grossing charity concert of all time, with proceeds amounting to a total of GBP 140 million (around PHP 10.7 billion). All of this was donated to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Born on December 3, 1948, Ozzy Osbourne is one of the forefathers of heavy metal, pioneering the genre after forming Black Sabbath with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward in 1968. Following their formation, the band went on to become one of metal’s most influential and successful acts from then until now, selling over 75 million albums worldwide throughout their 57-year journey. Their first three full-length records — 1970’s Black Sabbath and Paranoid, and 1971’s Master of Reality — are widely regarded as being instrumental in laying the foundations of and developing the heavy metal genre. In total, they released 19 studio albums, with nine of these being with Osbourne as the vocalist. Their final album 13 was released on June 10, 2013.
Beyond Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne also had a prolific career as a solo artist, which he started following his departure from the band in 1979, before rejoining the band in 1997. As a solo artist, Osbourne debuted in 1980 with the album Blizzard Of Ozz, going on to release a total of 13 full-length records. The last of these was Patient Number 9, released on September 9, 2022.