LONDON, July 22. /TASS/. Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 77, his family said in a statement.

"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 statement said.

Osbourne passed away just 16 days after playing a farewell concert in Birmingham. The show marked the first time in two decades that he took the stage with all his original Black Sabbath bandmates: guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.

First, the 76-year-old Osbourne, sitting on an improvised throne due to the inability to walk due to a spinal injury, performed five of his most popular solo songs - I Don't Know, Mr. Crowley, Suicide Solution, Crazy Train and Mama, I'm Coming Home. After that, classic Black Sabbath hits such as War Pigs, N. I. B., Iron Man and Paranoid were played. As the publication noted, at the end of the performance, Osbourne was presented with a cake, and fireworks were shot off.

The farewell concert, dubbed Back to the Beginning, which took place in his native Birmingham, lasted about ten hours. Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against the Machine, served as the musical director of the event. Metallica, Slayer, Guns N' Roses, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Pantera, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Rival Sons, Tool and Gojira performed at the concert.

A place in history

Black Sabbath was founded in Birmingham in 1968. The band, winner of three American Grammy Awards, has sold over 75 million albums worldwide. In 2006, Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1980, Osbourne began his solo career, quickly rising to rock star fame. His records Blizzard of Ozz and No More Tears went quadruple platinum in the United States. The musician, nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, was again inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2024. His latest album, Patient 9, was released in 2022 and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Compilation Album.

In 2023, Osbourne stopped touring due to poor health stemming from a spinal injury sustained back in 2019. In 2020, Osbourne publicly announced he had Parkinson’s Disease. In total, during his more than half a century-long career, Osbourne played more than 2,500 concerts all over the world, including in Russia.