Ozzy Osbourne, the iconic singer who fronted Black Sabbath, arguably the first heavy metal band, has passed away at the age of seventy six. He was surrounded by his family. A statement said: "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 began his career with future Black Sabbath bandmate Terry "Geezer" Butler in 1967, whom he would reunite with along with drummer Bill Ward and guitarist Tony Iommi to form Earth, which eventually became Black Sabbath. The band released their eponymous debut album on Friday the 13th 1970. The record became a revolution and Osbourne would release seven more studio albums with the group until he was released in 1979 and would embark on a solo career, once again debuting with a classic album, "Blizzard Of Ozz" in 1980. His career was highly successful and he became known for several off stage antics as well as his music, becoming a symbol of rock and roll in the process. In the early nineties, Osbourne announced his farewell tour, coming off of the superb "No More Tears" album and to mark the occasion, reunited with his former Black Sabbath bandmates. His retirement wouldn't last long and over the years he would perform with Black Sabbath on several reunion tours, eventually leading to a new album, "13," in 2013. Only a few weeks ago, Osbourne performed for the final time at Villa Park, the home of his beloved local football team Aston Villa. The show was highly acclaimed and Ozzy earned praise for the effort and energy he displayed despite being physically limited. Ozzy was the voice of the genre we all love. He was an original. Controversial, talented, at times polarising, there will never be another.
