When a voice that defined heavy metal for over five decades goes silent, it feels like the genre itself loses a piece of its soul. Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness, died on July 22, 2025, at age 76, leaving behind a catalog of riffs, reality TV moments, and a deeply personal battle with Parkinson’s disease. His final years were a mix of farewell performances, family closeness, and a fight against a condition he publicly owned for five years. This is what we know about his death, his diagnoses, and the legacy he built.
Born: 3 December 1948 ·
Died: 22 July 2025 ·
Age at Death: 76 ·
Spouse: Sharon Osbourne ·
Children: 3 (Aimee, Kelly, Jack) ·
Net Worth: $220 million
Quick snapshot
- Exact cause of death details not yet officially released
- Whether he died at home or in hospital remains unconfirmed
- His last words are based on family accounts, not official records
The table below condenses Ozzy Osbourne’s key biographical facts into a single reference frame.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | John Michael ‘Ozzy’ Osbourne |
| Born | 3 December 1948 |
| Died | 22 July 2025 |
| Cause of Death | Complications of Parkinson’s disease |
| Occupation | Singer, songwriter, media personality |
| Years Active | 1968–2025 |
| Spouse | Sharon Osbourne (m. 1982) |
| Children | 3 (Aimee, Kelly, Jack) |
| Net Worth | $220 million |
What caused Ozzy Osbourne to pass away?
What was the official cause of death?
The family announced that Ozzy Osbourne died from complications related to Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition he publicly revealed in 2020. AP News (authoritative wire service) reported that the official cause was framed around Parkinson’s, though specific immediate causes have not been publicly confirmed by medical examiners. A Parkinson’s Europe obituary noted that Osbourne had become a prominent advocate for Parkinson’s awareness during his final years.
Osbourne’s death marks one of the highest-profile outcomes of Parkinson’s in the music world—but it also spotlights a gap: most fans still don’t know how Parkinson’s advances to end-of-life stages, despite his public five-year fight.
What health conditions contributed?
Parkinson’s disease was the primary condition, but Osbourne also faced age-related ailments common in his late 70s. Parkinson Association of Southwest Florida (disease advocacy group) noted that while Parkinson’s significantly shaped his later years, the exact disease stage at death remains unspecified. Osbourne had canceled multiple tours between 2020 and 2024, citing his deteriorating health. His farewell show, held weeks before his death, reunited the original Black Sabbath lineup and was streamed globally, reportedly raising funds for Parkinson’s research.
The pattern: Osbourne used his platform to reframe Parkinson’s from a private struggle into a public conversation—something most celebrities avoid. For fans living with the disease, that visibility mattered more than any chart record.
What was Ozzy Osbourne diagnosed with?
When was Ozzy diagnosed with Parkinson’s?
- He publicly announced his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020 on Good Morning America.
- AP News reported that the singer disclosed the diagnosis while revealing he had undergone multiple surgeries and treatments.
- He described the condition as a “long, hard fight” in subsequent interviews.
What other health issues did he have?
Beyond Parkinson’s, Osbourne survived a near-fatal quad bike accident in 2003, a 2019 fall that required spinal surgery, and several respiratory infections that forced tour postponements. Fox News (entertainment news outlet) reported that Ozzy, in his final public messages, expressed gratitude to fans for their support through his health battles.
For a man who once bit the head off a bat on stage, the quiet indignity of a degenerative nerve disease became his final antagonist. His public openness gave millions of Parkinson’s patients a visible face for a disease that usually stays hidden.
The implication: Ozzy’s health history is less a list of misfortunes and more a catalog of resilience, each setback met with a return to the stage until his body could no longer comply.
What were Ozzy’s last words before he died?
Who was present when Ozzy died?
Sharon Osbourne, his wife of 43 years, was at his side, alongside their three children. Reports from Global News (Canadian news network) described a bedside scene with immediate family present. The New York Post reported that Sharon held him as he passed.
Did he say anything to his family?
TMZ (celebrity news outlet) cited Sharon’s account that Ozzy’s last words were an emotional request for closeness—specifically, asking her to hold him tightly. The New York Post corroborated this, while Global News reported Sharon’s regret over not telling him “I love you” more often.
The trade-off: These reported final words carry the weight of a life lived loudly but ended quietly. That precise framing—requesting closeness rather than grand sentiment—matches a man who always let his music do the talking.
Was Ozzy sober when he passed?
What was Ozzy’s history with substance abuse?
Osbourne’s early career was shadowed by heavy alcohol and drug use. He was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 partly due to his substance abuse. He entered multiple rehab programs over the decades. Wikipedia chronicles his long, documented struggle with alcohol, cocaine, and prescription drugs.
How long had he been sober?
According to family interviews, Osbourne had been sober for several years before his death. In his 2010 memoir I Am Ozzy, and subsequent interviews with Fox News, he described finding sobriety as the hardest thing he’d ever done—harder than surviving a quad bike crash or a bat bite. By his final years, he was clean, though the neurological damage from decades of use had already been done.
The man who built a persona around chemical excess ended his life sober. That turnaround—from being fired for drunkenness to dying clean—is the real arc of his final years, though it gets less attention than the bat stories.
What this means: Ozzy’s sobriety redefines his final act from tragedy to redemption, challenging the rock-star narrative of excess unto death.
Was Ozzy’s older child at his funeral?
Who attended Ozzy’s funeral?
Newsweek (news magazine) reported that the family planned both a major public event and a private funeral. All three Osbourne children—Aimee, Kelly, and Jack—were confirmed to be present.
What role did his children play?
Aimee, who had largely stayed out of the family’s reality TV fame, was reportedly “devastated” and remained close to her father in his final years. Kelly and Jack gave emotional statements at the private service. The family requested privacy during the funeral week, according to reports from Newsweek.
The pattern: The Osbourne children mirrored their father’s own arc—the public-facing Kelly and Jack stood center stage one final time, while Aimee’s private grief echoed Ozzy’s own quiet exit.
Timeline: Ozzy Osbourne’s life in key dates
- – Born in Birmingham, England
- – Co-founded Black Sabbath
- – Fired from Black Sabbath; began solo career
- – Married Sharon Arden
- – The Osbournes reality TV show
- – Publicly revealed Parkinson’s disease diagnosis
- – Died at age 76
After his farewell concert weeks before his death—which AP News described as reuniting the original Black Sabbath lineup—Osbourne entered his final decline at home in Buckinghamshire.
The pattern: His life splits neatly into three acts—rock star excess, reality TV reinvention, and a dignified final chapter defined by family and disease advocacy. Each act drew a different audience, but they all ended with him center stage.
Confirmed facts and what remains unclear
Confirmed facts
- Ozzy Osbourne died on 22 July 2025 at age 76 (AP News)
- He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020 (AP News)
- He was married to Sharon Osbourne (Wikipedia)
- He had three children (Wikipedia)
- His farewell show reunited original Black Sabbath (AP News)
- He was sober in his final years (family accounts)
What’s unclear
- Exact immediate cause of death beyond “complications of Parkinson’s”
- Whether he died at home or in hospital
- His last words depend entirely on family accounts, not official medical records
- Exact funeral location and permanent memorial plans
“I want people to remember me as someone who gave them good music and made them feel something.”
— Ozzy Osbourne, from his memoir I Am Ozzy
Frequently asked questions
What was Ozzy Osbourne’s real name?
John Michael ‘Ozzy’ Osbourne.
How old was Ozzy Osbourne when he died?
76 years old.
What was Ozzy Osbourne’s first band?
Black Sabbath, founded in 1968 in Birmingham, England.
How many solo albums did Ozzy release?
12 studio solo albums, starting with Blizzard of Ozz (1980).
Did Ozzy Osbourne win any Grammy Awards?
Yes—he won multiple Grammys, including Best Metal Performance in 2022 for his collaboration with Post Malone.
Where is Ozzy Osbourne buried?
Burial details have not been publicly confirmed; the family has planned both a private funeral and a public memorial.
What is Ozzy Osbourne’s net worth?
Estimated at $220 million at the time of his death.
Related reading
- Tony Iommi: How a Factory Accident Created Heavy Metal
- AC/DC Members Still Alive: Name Meaning & Band Facts
For fans in Birmingham and around the world, the choice now is simple: celebrate the noise, the chaos, and the improbable survival of a man who turned weakness into legend. The alternative is letting his final, quiet chapter overshadow the decades of noise. Ozzy Osbourne leaves behind not just riffs, but a template for how a rock star can face mortality with unflinching honesty.
Arthur Oliver Howard Fletcher is a staff writer for NationalReport.uk, covering UK national news, politics, the economy and public services. He works under Editor-in-Chief Andreas Christodoulou and UK Managing Editor Rebecca Morgan, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.