Ozzy Osbourne passes
Ozzy Osbourne, who achieved enormous success as a pioneer of two wildly popular entertainment genres, heavy metal music and reality television, died on Tuesday. He was 76.
His family announced the death in a statement, which did not say where he died or specify a cause. He had been treated in recent years for a variant of Parkinson’s disease that he identified as Parkinsonism or Parkin 2, exacerbated by his chronic drug abuse.
Although Mr. Osbourne repeatedly announced his retirement over the years — he called a series of live dates in 1992 the “No More Tours” tour and a 2018 series “No More Tours II” — he gave his final concert this month, at a festival in his hometown, Birmingham, England, in his honor. Seated on a black throne, visibly moved by the enthusiasm of the crowd, he closed out his career by reuniting the original lineup of his heavy metal group Black Sabbath.
As the lead singer of Black Sabbath, Mr. Osbourne was one of the inventors of heavy metal. As a solo artist, he became a remarkably durable star, with 13 platinum albums and the nickname “Prince of Darkness.”
Condolences to the family and to all of his fans. May he rest in peace 🕊️
