Praise for Ozzy Osbourne and the legacy he established through the heavy metal mainstay Black Sabbath, as well as his later turn as an open collaborator and music industry legend, is pouring in following the musician’s death at age 76. Throughout his career, Osbourne shared the stage and the studio with genre- and generation-spanning collaborators, including Slash, Elton John, Motörhead, and Madonna, as well as Busta Rhymes, Yungblud, and Post Malone. Both his range and influence were expansive, heavily rooted in blazing a trail, leading the adventure, and living to tell the tale. Such sentiments were echoed across the music industry as news of his death began to spread.
“Sad to hear Ozzy died today,” Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, who worked with Osbourne on the latter’s 2022 album Patient Number 9, wrote on Instagram. “When I was in high school I discovered Sabbath. ‘War Pigs’ was terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time. It was Ozzy’s voice that took me away to a dark universe. A great escape. Then when The ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ record came out I was instantly a fan. Randy Rhoads was an influence on me to play lead guitar. Luckily I got to play on the song ‘Immortal’ on the last record. Thanks for the music, Ozzy it makes our journey in life better.”
“Thank you for all that you did for metal & Pantera,” the group wrote on Instagram. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
“Didn’t think you would leave so soon,” the musician Yungblud, who recently developed a close mentorship with the late artist, wrote on Instagram. “The last time we met you were so full of life and your laugh filled up the room. But as it is written with legends, they seem to know the things that we don’t.” Yungblud shared the encomium beneath a carousel of images, including a recent shot from a meeting during which he gifted Osbourne a chain, the same way the had done for him before.
“I will never forget you — you will be in every single note I sing and with me every single time I walk on stage. Your cross around my neck is the most precious thing I own,” the singer continued. “You asked me once if there was anything you could do for me and as I said then and as I will say now for all of us the music was enough. You took us on your adventure — an adventure that started it all. I am truly heartbroken. You were the greatest of all time.”
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Yungblud took the stage at Back to the Beginning, the expansive charity concert during which Osbourne delivered his final live performance. The musician delivered a striking cover of the Black Sabbath ballad “Changes.” “God bless Black Sabbath and God bless Ozzy Osbourne,” Yungblud said in his dedication on stage before unleashing one of the most regarded performances of the event.
John shared an old photo with Osbourne on Instagram, writing: “So sad to hear the news of @ozzyosbourne passing away. He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods — a true legend. He was also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love.”
Fellow musicians Billie Joe Armstrong and Jack White summed up their reactions in more compact statements, writing, “No words. We love you Ozzy” and “He made it,” respectively. “Long Live The Oz,” Questlove shared. “Rest In Melody.” On an Instagram Story, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello added, “God bless you, Ozzy.” Lenny Kravitz shared his “love and condolences to the Osbourne family” in a post of his own.
“An absolute KING. An outcast from the jump, always considered a freak by the squares, he continued to rock like nobody’s business, and give us the greatest gifts,” Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea wrote. “Thats what love is. Ozzy rules, there will never be another. Long after we are all gone people will listen to him and know what true rocking is. Ozzy forever.”
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Korn frontman Jonathan Davis shared a close friendship with Osbourne. On Instagram, he wrote, “This man ment the world to me. He was one of my musical hero’s and did so much for me personally and for korn. I’m going to miss our little chats. My heart goes out to @sharonosbourne and the family. Rest in peace my brother. Your memory and what you have done for music will live forever.”
Billy Idol, who joined Jelly Roll and Tool frontman Maynard Keenan in inducting the Prince of Darkness into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October 2024, praised Osbourne in the caption of a post remembering that night.
“I’m so glad that I could be part of his solo induction into the @rockhall last October that I got to honor his achievements in the light of his passing,” Idol wrote. “Here I am pictured with @ozzyosbourne @stevestevens on that night last October. I saw Black Sabbath one month before the first album came out at Worthing town hall in 1968. I was right at the front & his tassels were touching me! Ozzy embodied the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, and he performed right to the end as we all saw most recently at the back to the beginning concert. My condolences to Sharon Jack Kelly, and the whole family. My heart goes out to you.”
Brad Gillis, who played guitar on Osbourne’s 1982 album Bark at the Moon after the death of guitarist Randy Rhoads, opened his tribute with lyrics from “Goodbye to Romance,” which arrived a few years earlier on Blizzard of Ozz. “Goodbye to friends, Goodbye to all the past,” he quoted. “I guess that we’ll meet, we’ll meet in the end.”
“I will forever be grateful for Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne. Everything they did for my career and for me personally, I am forever in their debt,” Gillis wrote. “My experiences with Ozzy are something I hold close and will forever cherish. With Ozzy, you could run through a gauntlet of emotions but what I remember the most were our crazy, fun times! …and rocking next to him playing those incredible songs! Unforgettable!! Flying High, Bossman! I’m sure Randy is waiting to greet you.”
Duran Duran, fellow Brits who hail from Osbourne’s hometown of Birmingham, reacted to the loss on Instagram, sharing the musician’s 1984 mugshot. “What can you say about Ozzy? Whatever it is, it’s in a Brummie accent,” they wrote. “Hard to imagine a world without him, Ozzy brought so much joy, humour and raw power to the world, in a life of many chapters. Ozzy was a cat who had way more than nine lives. Thanks for the ride Ozzy, love from the other Brummies.”
Eagles’ Joe Walsh remembered Osbourne in a post that praised him as “a fine gentleman, father, husband and friend with a legacy that will never be denied,” adding, “But for me — above all — a gentle soul. Our deepest condolences to Sharon and the family. May @ozzyosbourne RIP, the Prince of Darkness!”
“Ozzy Osbourne was and will always be a one of a kind true rock legend,” Sammy Hagar wrote. “For him to have been that close to death on July 5 and still get up there and perform like he promised… Wow! That puts him in a category of his own. Talk about commitment and loyalty to your fans. Nobody’s going to out-do that ever!”
Even Adam Sandler, who enlisted Osbourne for a cameo in his 2000 film Little Nicky, saluted the Prince of Darkness, writing, “Whether we were in our basements with our brothers, in the woods with our buddies, in the car, at a keg party, on a boat, at football practice, at a sleepover….Nobody was more badass to crank up on our speakers than the one and only prince of darkness.”
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Black Sabbath themselves took a shorter, more poignant route, posting a photo of Osbourne from the recent Back to the Beginning show with the message, “Ozzy forever.”
Osbourne’s family confirmed his death in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, writing: “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.”
