Ozzy Osbourne is dead and all hell is mourning
The founder of Black Sabbath died on July 22nd at the age of 76. With his rallying cry, the "Prince of Darkness" became the legendary pioneer of heavy metal and, above all, the screaming metal of an entire generation disillusioned and anguished by war and its demons.
British singer Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22, 2025, at the age of 76. ITV/SHUTTERSTOCK/SIPA
Silence is always more deafening when it rises from a scream. Ozzy Osbourne understood this well. For nearly six decades, the man nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" has shaped heavy metal in his own image. This maestro of chaos has achieved the feat of amplifying traditional blues chords with the malice of Prometheus. Except he didn't steal this fiery music from Olympus, but from the banks of the Styx.
He had just uttered his farewell cry in his hometown of Birmingham on July 5th. During this final howled chant, by the grace of a black swan, Ozzy had reformed the quartet Black Sabbath with the metronome Bill Ward, Geezer Butler on bass and Tony Iommi on guitar. Alongside them, other children of his rock had taken turns on a rotating stage to play tribute hits: Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Pantera, Scott …
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