Ozzy Osbourne: community remembers fierce ally and Israel supporter
Heavy metal icon performed in Tel Aviv, backed BBC bias inquiry and embraced Judaism through wife Sharon’s proud Jewish roots
Ozzy Osbourne, the pioneering godfather of heavy metal who openly challenged antisemitism and championed Jewish causes, has died aged 76.
A statement from his family said the Black Sabbath frontman passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday: “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 family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Osbourne had lived with Parkinson’s disease since 2020 and cancelled several world tour dates in recent years due to poor health. He made a final public appearance just weeks ago, performing in Birmingham for what he called his “last ever” concert.
Known as much for his dark stage theatrics as for his reality TV warmth, Osbourne’s death prompted tributes from across the music world. But it was his outspoken solidarity with the Jewish community – and defiant support for Israel – that also earned admiration in recent years.
In March 2025, Osbourne and his wife Sharon were among more than 200 public figures who signed an open letter demanding an independent inquiry into the BBC’s handling of its Gaza documentary How to Survive a Warzone. The film’s narrator was found to have family ties to Hamas. The letter accused the BBC of promoting “Hamas propaganda” and urged it to confront its “systematic problem of bias against Israel.”
It wasn’t a one-off gesture. Osbourne refused to allow rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) to sample Iron Man in 2024, citing the artist’s repeated antisemitic outbursts. “He IS an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many,” he posted on X.
His connection to Judaism was also deeply personal. Sharon Osbourne, born Sharon Levy, is the daughter of Jewish music manager Don Arden. In a 2024 interview with The Jewish Chronicle, she described Judaism as “the only religion I have and the only one I’m comfortable with,” adding that it was “at the heart of our household.”
The couple’s 2002 vow renewal ceremony was conducted by a rabbi and broadcast in an episode of The Osbournes titled “My Big Fat Jewish Wedding.” Ozzy, initially confused, warmed to the ritual when the rabbi introduced the kiddush wine as “a symbol of joy.” “I like this guy,” he declared on camera.
Osbourne performed in Israel twice – in 2010 at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park for Ozzfest and again in 2018 during his farewell No more Tours 2 tour. Ahead of his first show, he visited Jerusalem’s Old City and Yad Vashem. Asked at the time about pressure to boycott Israel, he replied: “I try to stay away from politics. They don’t understand me, and I don’t understand them.” Sharon was more forthright: “I’m half a Heeb. We play where we want to play. That’s it.”
His death ends a six-decade career that helped shape heavy metal music and defied every boundary of excess and expectation. Born John Michael Osbourne in working-class Birmingham, he co-founded Black Sabbath in 1968. Their early albums Paranoid, Master of Reality and Vol.4 rewrote the rules of rock, pioneering a darker sound that influenced generations.
He was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 for drug and alcohol abuse but launched a hugely successful solo career with Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. He later became a pop culture icon through MTV’s The Osbournes, which showcased the often chaotic but deeply bonded family life he built with Sharon and their three children: Aimee, Kelly and Jack.
Osbourne won five Grammy Awards, was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – with Black Sabbath in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024 – and was credited with helping launch the careers of countless young guitarists.
Yet behind the bat-biting headlines and gothic persona was a man who, in his final years, used his voice to speak out – against hate, in support of Israel, and alongside a Jewish community that now mourns a fierce and unlikely ally.
He is survived by Sharon, their children and grandchildren.
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