Ozzy Osbourne’s son Louis has paid a quiet but emotional tribute to his late father following the rock icon’s death.
The Black Sabbath legend, known globally as the Prince of Darkness, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family. He was 76. Ozzy revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019.
Confirming the new news, a family statement 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. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.”
In the hours after the heartbreaking announcement, Louis made a subtle but powerful gesture on Instagram by changing his profile picture to a plain black circle.
Louis, along with his siblings Elliot Kingsley and Jessica Osbourne, are Ozzy’s children with his ex-wife, Thelma Riley, whom he was married to from 1971 to 1982.
The trio mostly stay out of the spotlight compared to their half-siblings Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39, but Louis’ sister Jessica previously revealed their upbringing with Ozzy was strained.
Speaking about their home life in the 2011 documentary God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, she said: “It was a very erratic childhood with dad.”
Louis followed his famous dad into the world of music but in a very different way, carving out a name for himself as a label owner, DJ, producer and broadcaster.
According to music authority Resident Advisor, Louis’s incredible career spanning over 18 years has cemented his name as an industry stalwart. He once held a prestigious residency at the legendary Café Mambo in Ibiza, adding his name to the small list of DJs to do so.
On Tuesday (22 July) Ozzy’s family released a heartbreaking statement confirming his death aged 76. The Black Sabbath frontman passed away ‘surrounded by love’, weeks after his final performance at Villa Park.
As frontman of Black Sabbath, he was at the forefront of the heavy metal scene – a deeper, darker offshoot of hard rock.
He leaves behind wife and manager Sharon and children Jack, Kelly, Aimee, Louis, Jessica and Elliot.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs including factory work before teaming up with school friend Geezer Butler in several bands.
Earlier this month he bid a 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 was formed in 1968 – that it was “so good to be on this stage” as he performed his last set from a large black throne.
Osbourne and his fellow original Black Sabbath members – Tony Iommi, Terence “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward – were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert.
Also among the bands performing were Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses, and there were messages of thanks from other celebrities, including Jack Black, Ricky Gervais and Dolly Parton.
