It feels weird writing this in 2026, but it’s been about six months since the world actually lost Ozzy Osbourne. For years, the internet played this sick game of "is he or isn't he," churning out those fake "rest in peace" videos on YouTube that Ozzy himself used to make fun of. But on July 22, 2025, the headlines weren't clickbait anymore. The Prince of Darkness really did leave the building at age 76.
Honestly, even though we knew he was struggling, it felt like he was immortal. This is a guy who survived enough drugs to kill a small village and famously bit the head off a bat. You just didn't expect a heart attack to be the thing that finally took him down.
Ozzy Osbourne Dead: How Did He Die?
When the news broke last summer, the initial family statement was pretty vague. They mentioned he was surrounded by love and passed away peacefully in the morning. A few weeks later, the official paperwork came out and gave us the technical breakdown. Ozzy Osbourne died of an acute myocardial infarction, which is the medical way of saying a heart attack.
He also suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Basically, his heart just stopped.
The coroner's report listed a few other "contributing factors" that explain why his body finally gave out. It wasn't just one thing; it was the cumulative weight of years of heavy-duty health battles. Specifically, he had coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction. That second one is a mouthful, but it basically means his nervous system—the part that controls things like heart rate and blood pressure—wasn't firing correctly anymore.
The Final Performance in Birmingham
What makes this whole thing so heavy is that he had just performed his final show 17 days before he died. On July 5, 2025, Ozzy took the stage in his hometown of Birmingham for the "Back to the Beginning" concert. He was sitting on a bat-themed throne because he literally couldn't stand up for long periods anymore.
Jack and Sharon recently talked about this on their podcast here in early 2026. They revealed it was a total miracle he even made it to that stage. Apparently, back in March of 2025, the family thought they were going to lose him then. He had fractured a vertebra in a fall, contracted pneumonia, and then ended up with sepsis. He was essentially fighting for his life months before the world saw him perform one last time.
A Decades-Long Battle With His Own Body
If you've followed Ozzy at all over the last five or six years, you know his health was a train wreck. It all really started going south in 2019. He had a nasty fall at his Los Angeles home that dislodged metal rods in his back—rods that had been there since a quad bike accident in 2003.
- He went through seven surgeries in five years.
- He dealt with blood clots, nerve damage, and constant, "agony-level" pain.
- He was diagnosed with PRKN 2, a rare genetic form of Parkinson's.
By 2024, Ozzy was done with the operating table. He told Sharon, "Whatever I'm gonna be at right now, that's it." He couldn't take any more cutting. He spent his final months doing physical therapy and even trying stem cell treatments, just trying to get enough strength to say goodbye to his fans in person.
The "Death Pact" and Misconceptions
There was a lot of weird talk online about a "suicide pact" between Ozzy and Sharon. People were convinced he chose to go out on his own terms at a clinic in Switzerland. Kelly Osbourne had to go on a scorched-earth mission on Instagram a few weeks before he died to debunk that.
While Sharon had mentioned years ago in her memoir that they'd considered assisted suicide if they got dementia, that's not what happened here. Ozzy didn't choose the day he died. His heart simply couldn't keep up with the demands of his legendary, albeit battered, spirit.
What’s Happening Now? (2026 Update)
Even though he's gone, the Ozzy machine hasn't stopped. We're currently seeing a massive exhibition of his memorabilia in Birmingham that's been extended through September 2026 because the crowds are so huge.
The biggest news right now is the biopic. Jack Osbourne just confirmed they’ve officially cast the lead role. They aren’t saying who it is yet—though rumors are flying about everyone from Fred Hechinger to some "unknown" British actor—but the script is being rewritten as we speak.
What you should do next:
If you want to honor the Ozzman, skip the tabloid rumors and go listen to Ordinary Man or Patient Number 9. Those final albums were basically his way of processing his own mortality in real-time. Also, keep an eye out for the documentary No Escape From Now which is supposed to hit Paramount+ later this year; it’s going to show the raw, unedited footage of his final health battles that the family kept secret until now.