The China Mail - Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne dead aged 76

The hell-raising singer, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019, passed away just over two weeks after playing a final gig before a sold-out crowd in his home city of Birmingham, England.

"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," read the family's statement.

"He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time."

Nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness", Osbourne was a notorious figure who once bit off the head of a bat while on stage.

He was instrumental in pioneering heavy metal -- an offshoot of hard rock -- as Black Sabbath enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1970s.

Osbourne brought the curtain down on a wild career on July 5, when Black Sabbath rattled through their most iconic songs in front of an adoring crowd at Villa Park, home of Premier League football club Aston Villa.

"It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle... Thank you from the bottom of our hearts," Osbourne told the crowd after finishing the set with "Paranoid" -- the band's most famous song.

He was joined by original bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the concert, dubbed "Back to the Beginning". The heavy metal giants formed in Birmingham in 1968.

Osbourne -- stylish to the very end -- held court from a giant leather throne, topped with a bat.

Black Sabbath's eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records.

They went on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide.

The band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and Osbourne was added for a second time last year as a solo artist.

- Rabies shots -

Osbourne's public persona took a new turn with the reality television series "The Osbournes" in the 2000s, which followed the ups and downs of his family life alongside wife Sharon, whom he married in 1982, and their three children.

Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948 in Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work before teaming up with school friend Butler in several bands before finding success with Black Sabbath.

He paused touring in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery.

Osbourne had suffered a fall at home in 2019, which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003.

His live performances at the height of his hedonism have gone down in rock folklore, particularly a 1982 gig in Des Moines, Iowa, when he bit the head off a bat on stage.

Osbourne said he thought a fan had thrown a fake rubber bat onstage, and it was not until he took a bite that he realised it was real.

"I can assure you the rabies shots I went through afterwards aren't fun," he told US TV host David Letterman in 1982.

He released his 12th studio album, "Ordinary Man", in 2020, followed by "Patient Number 9" in 2022, which went to number three and two in the UK charts, respectively.

X.So--ThChM