Ozzy Osbourne dies aged 76

Black Sabbath frontman performed at a recent farewell show

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  Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne in Los Angeles, 1981. The singer died aged 76, only weeks after his farewell show. AP

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  Osbourne performs with his band Black Sabbath in Budapest, 2016. EPA

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  Osbourne, wife Sharon and children Kelly, Jack and Aimee at the Kerrang Awards 1997 in London. PA

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  Britain's King Charles, at the time Prince of Wales, shares a lighter moment with Osbourne, left, and singer Chico, centre, during a charity event at Clarence House. PA

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  Osbourne in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, where he appeared before a magistrate accused of assaulting his wife Sharon, in 1989. PA

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  Appearing at a media conference to tell reporters that his song 'Suicide Solution' was misinterpreted and is anti-suicide, in Los Angeles, 1986. AP

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  FILE PHOTO: Rock musician Ozzy Osbourne performs during a concert in Brasilia April 5, 2011. Osbourne is on his Scream Tour South America/Europe 2011. REUTERS / Ueslei Marcelino / File Photo

Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath singer and godfather of heavy metal, has died at 76 just weeks after performing at a farewell show.

A statement from his family read: “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.”

Osbourne had a connection to the UAE, with Black Sabbath playing their first Middle East concert in Abu Dhabi in 2014.

Ozzy Osbourne: When the Prince of Darkness lit up Abu Dhabi

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"That is what it is all about for me, to go out and explore new places," he told The National that year. "We have matured and we have families and responsibilities and I am just having a great time playing with the boys all over again."

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019.

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.

Earlier this month he bid 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 formed in 1968 – that it was “so good to be on this stage” as he performed his final set from a large black throne.

Ozzy Osbourne performs with Black Sabbath in 1997. AP