'Surrounded by love': Osbourne family’s full statement as music world mourns heavy metal icon

A statement from his family said: "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.

"Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis."

He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019.

Earlier this month he bid a farewell to fans with a Black Sabbath reunion, telling thousands of heavy metal enthusiasts at Villa Park, Birmingham - a stone's throw from where Black Sabbath was formed in 1968 - that it was "so good to be on this stage" as he performed his last set from a large black throne.

As frontman of Black Sabbath, he was at the forefront of the heavy metal scene - a deeper, darker offshoot of hard rock.

His theatrical stage presence, including once biting off the head of a bat, and styling himself as the Prince of Darkness marked him out as a controversial figure.

He rose to further fame alongside his wife Sharon - whom he married in 1982 and with whom he has three children - through their reality TV series The Osbournes.

Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work before teaming up with school friend Geezer Butler in several bands.

The pair then linked up with the other founder members of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, to form what was then called Earth Blues Company - later shortened to Earth - in 1968.

Initially a Mod who loved soul music, according to his biography on the band's official website, Osbourne crafted his darker image after writing lyrics for a song entitled Black Sabbath after the 1963 Boris Karloff film of the same name.

The name stuck - after they were forced to change it from Earth - and the band went on to sell millions of records over the next decade on the back of sound-defining tracks including Paranoid and War Pigs.

A product of their working-class roots and the post-Vietnam War era, the band tackled themes of war, social chaos and the supernatural.

Black Sabbath's eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records.

They went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide.

The group were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and Osbourne was added for a second time last year.

Drug use began to take its toll on Osbourne and his relationship with his fellow band members, and he was eventually fired in 1979.

He launched a solo career, enjoying success during the 1980s, before reforming with Sabbath several times - including in 2016 for a final world tour.

In 2020, Osbourne revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and he paused touring in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery.

He had a fall at home in 2019 which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003, stopping his No More Tours 2 shows from going ahead in Europe and the UK.

The tour had previously been rescheduled several times because of illness, the Covid-19 pandemic and logistical issues.

He released his twelfth studio album Ordinary Man in 2020, followed by Patient Number 9 in 2022, which went to number three and two in the UK charts respectively.