On this day (July 22) in 2025, Ozzy Osbourne died in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, England, at the age of 76. He died of a heart attack after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, among other illnesses. His death came just weeks after he played his final show with the original Black Sabbath lineup in their hometown of Birmingham, England, on July 5.
Osbourne knew he wanted to be a rock star after he heard the Beatles for the first time when he was just 14 years old. A year later, he dropped out of school and took a string of jobs, including work in construction, factories, and a slaughterhouse. However, nothing stuck. When he was 17, he spent six weeks behind bars for robbing a clothing store. Finally, in 1967, he took the first major step toward his goal of being a star.
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That year, Geezer Butler formed Rare Breed and invited Osbourne to be their vocalist. That band dissolved after a couple of shows. Later, Butler and Osbourne joined Tony Iommi and Bill Ward to form the Polka Tulk Blues Band, which later became Earth. When they learned that another band had already taken the name, they went back to the drawing board. Butler, a fan of horror films, suggested that they call themselves Black Sabbath, after the 1963 Italian horror film.
Black Sabbath Summons Success
When Black Sabbath officially formed in 1969, their sound stood out from the crowd. The biggest rock bands in the world were the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Led Zeppelin released their debut album that year as well. Across the pond, Creedence Clearwater Revival was dominating the charts and airwaves. At the same time, folk rock was massively popular with the counterculture.
Black Sabbath took the prominent blues rock sound of the era and transformed it into something heavier, slower, and darker. Tony Iommi’s distinctive monolithic riffs, Geezer Butler’s growling bass, and Bill Ward’s thunderous drums made the perfect backdrop for Ozzy Osbourne’s vocals. When combined with Butler’s lyrics, laced with themes of horror, the occult, war, and death, they created something that people didn’t know they wanted at the time.
The band released eight studio albums between 1970 and 1976. Seven of them were top 10 hits in the United Kingdom. The decade also produced iconic tracks like “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” “Children of the Grave,” “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” and “The Wizard.”
More importantly, Black Sabbath, especially the Ozzy Osbourne era, influenced generations of heavy metal bands. As former Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler once said, “If anybody who plays heavy metal says they weren’t influenced by Black Sabbath’s music, then I think they’re lying to you. I think all heavy metal music was, in some way, influenced by what Black Sabbath did.”
Ozzy Osbourne Goes Solo
All good things must come to an end. A combination of substance abuse and tensions within the band led to Ozzy Osbourne being booted from Black Sabbath in April 1979. He spent a few months in a haze of booze and drugs before his former band’s manager, Don Arden, gave Osbourne a solo record deal and sent his daughter, Sharon Arden, to look after him.
In late 1979, he formed a new band called Blizzard of Ozz. The lineup included Randy Rhoads (guitar), Bob Daisley (bass), and Lee Kerslake (drums). Their self-titled debut album dropped in September 1980. It went to No. 7 in the United Kingdom and No. 21 in the United States. It has since been certified 5x Platinum.
He released a total of 13 studio albums. The latest, Patient Number 9, was released in 2022 and became an international hit.
Sabbath Reunions
Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler reunited in 1997 for a string of Ozzfest shows. Unfortunately, Bill Ward’s health kept him from participating in the festival tour. Later that year, Ward was able to join the band for the tour that yielded the live album Reunion. Then, the reformed lineup toured together until 1999. Then, they performed on multiple Ozzfest tours before going on another hiatus.
In 2013, the original lineup came together once again to record 13, their first album together since their 1976 release Technical Ecstasy. They followed that with a world tour, sans Ward, who dropped out due to contract disputes.
Three years later, they embarked on a farewell tour, which resulted in another live album, The End: Live in Birmingham.
On July 5, 2025, the original Black Sabbath lineup played their final show during Back to the Beginning, a one-day festival, which featured some of the biggest names in heavy metal. They closed the night with Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness, singing from a black throne. They closed the show with “Paranoid.”
A little more than two weeks later, Osbourne died, leaving behind a legacy that will outlive even the youngest of his fans.
Featured Image by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images
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MACES SPRINGS, VA – AUGUST, 1977: Sara Carter performs at the A.P. Carter Memorial Festival in Maces Springs, Virginia. A.P. Carter was the leader of the Carter Family (A.P., his wife Sara and cousin Maybelle Carter), whose recordings in the 1920s and 1930s launched America's country music industry. Sara Carter's performace at the festival was her last. She died in 1979. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images) -
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LOS ANGELES – 1968: Country singer/songwriter Johnny Cash performs onstage in 1968 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Merle Haggard, who had a major hit with a Cindy Walker song -
Jan and Dean, who worked with the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson -
Los Angeles, CA – 1992: Reba McEntire performing live on the ABC tv special 'In a New Light: A Call to Action in the War Against AIDS', ABC's annual AIDS awareness special. (Photo by Craig Sjodin /American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images) -
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – AUGUST 20: T.G. Sheppard performs during the Kentucky State Fair on August 20, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Sarah Anne Cohen/WireImage)
