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Heavy Metal Legend, Pop Culture Icon Ozzy Osbourne Dead, Age 76

Heavy metal god and pop culture icon Ozzy Osbourne has passed away at the age of 76, confirmed by his family in a statement earlier today.

Only weeks after offering his final performance and being honored by a lineup of rock and metal's past and present during the "Back To The Beginning" concert, heavy metal god and pop culture icon Ozzy Osbourne has passed away at the age of 76. "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," read the statement from the family, confirming Osbourne's death. After dealing with a number of health issues for two years, Osbourne announced in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Three years later, Osbourne would issue a statement announcing that he was retiring from touring, with injuries he sustained during a 2018 accident being cited as the reason.

Over the course of his career, both as the front man to the legendary metal band Black Sabbath (from 1969 to 1979) and during his solo career (kicking off the same year he parted ways with Black Sabbath), Osbourne impact on the music scene cannot be denied, with stories of Osbourne life both on-stage and behind the scenes becoming legendary. But for Osbourne, it was also about bringing rock and heavy metal to the masses, with him and his wife/manager Sharon Osbourne offering the "Ozzfest" touring festival and including an impressive lineup of bands during the '90s.

Beyond the music scene, Osbourne and his family crossed over into mainstream pop culture in a big way with "The Osbournes," an MTV reality show that ran for four seasons, from 2002 to 2005. Focusing on Ozzy, Sharon, their son Jack, and daughter Kelly, the series would go a long way to showing a different side to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer than just the stories and urban legends that surrounded him for decades. The family would go on to appear in other reality shows, including the variety show Osbournes Reloaded, Ozzy & Jack's World Detour, and The Osbournes Want to Believe.

"Yes, I'm the crazy rock'n'roller who bit the head off a bat and pissed on the Alamo, but I also have a son who likes to mess around with the settings on my telly, so when I make myself a nice pot of tea, put my feet up, and try to watch a programme on the History Channel, I can't get the f**king thing to work. That kind of stuff blew people's minds. I think they had this idea in their heads that when I wasn't being arrested for public intoxication, I went to a cave and hung upside down, drinking snakes' blood. But I'm like Coco the Clown, me: at the end of the day, I come home, take off my greasepaint and my big red nose, and become Dad," Osbourne wrote in his book I Am Ozzy about how he's perceived as compared to his daily life.

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