LONDON: Ozzy Osbourne, frontman of the 1970s heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has died at the age of 76, the BBC reported, citing a family statement.

Known to fans as ‘The Prince of Darkness’ and the ‘Godfather of Heavy Metal’, Osbourne earned infamy biting the head off a bat on stage and pursuing a drug-fuelled lifestyle, before reinventing himself as a loveable, if often foul-mouthed reality TV star.

He kicked off his career blaring out Black Sabbath’s hits, from Paranoid to War Pigs. Those, plus a string of solo releases, saw him sell more than 100 million records worldwide.

The hard riffs and dark subject matter — from depression to war to apocalypse – combined with an instinct for theatrics. As a performer, Osbourne sprinkled audiences with raw meat and, in 1982, had his encounter with a bat thrown on stage by a fan.

He always insisted he thought it was a toy until he bit into it, realised his mistake and rushed to hospital for a rabies shot. He later sold branded bat soft toys with a removable head.

Osbourne was a regular target for conservative and religious groups concerned about the negative impact of rock music on young people. He always acknowledged the excesses of his lifestyle and lyrics - but poured scorn on the wilder reports that he was an actual devil-worshipper.

“I’ve done some bad things in my time. But I ain’t the devil. I’m just John Osbourne: a working class kid from Aston who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time,” he said in a 2010 biography.

“When I was growing up, if you’d have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of 60, with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckingha­mshire and California, I wouldn’t have put money on me, no f***ing way.”

Osbourne’s family included wife and manager Sharon, five children including Jack, Kelly and Aimee, and several grandchildren.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2025