Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne passed away on Tuesday morning at 76 years old, merely 24 hours after posting what would become his final message on Instagram.
The Black Sabbath frontman shared a backstage photograph from his farewell Birmingham concert on Monday, creating an inadvertently poignant goodbye to millions of followers worldwide.
The musician's family announced his passing in a statement released on Tuesday evening, confirming he died peacefully whilst surrounded by relatives.
"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," the statement read.
GETTY | Ozzy Osbourne died aged 76 "surrounded by love"The Instagram post, shared on Monday without any accompanying caption, displayed a photograph taken backstage at Villa Park during the charity concert on July 5.
The image featured a poster bearing the words Back to the Beginning and The Final Show alongside a photograph of the original Black Sabbath lineup - Butler, Iommi, Osbourne and Ward.
The post included only background music from Osbourne's track Mr Crowley and showed a backstage corridor with the commemorative poster positioned above what appeared to be his dressing room entrance.
The Birmingham event had marked Osbourne's first full performance with Black Sabbath in two decades and served as his official farewell to live performing.
Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis Osbourne released their joint statement confirming the rock icon had died on Tuesday morning.
The Prince of Darkness had been battling severe health challenges, including Parkinson's disease, which he'd been diagnosed with in 2003 but only revealed publicly in January 2020.
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His death occurred just 17 days after his emotional farewell performance at Villa Park, where he performed from a specially designed throne due to mobility limitations caused by his condition.
During that final concert on July 5, Osbourne had told the crowd: "I don't know what to say, man, I've been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel - thank you from the bottom of my heart."
The Birmingham concert had been organised as a charitable event supporting Acorns Children's Hospice, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Cure Parkinson's.
The 10-hour festival featured performances from Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool and other metal giants, with Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath members closing the show.
Unable to stand due to his Parkinson's symptoms, Osbourne performed his five-song solo set from a black leather throne with bat-wing decorations.
He was later joined by Iommi, Butler and Ward for four Black Sabbath classics, marking their first reunion performance since 2005.
The event held special significance as Birmingham was Black Sabbath's birthplace in 1968. Osbourne had previously stated he wanted to "give back to the place where I was born" and declared "Birmingham is the true home of metal."
Following the announcement of his death, Osbourne's final Instagram post transformed into an impromptu digital memorial as thousands of fans flooded the comments section with tributes.
Supporters left messages including "Thank you for sharing your life with us. Love you and rest well" and "Forever in our hearts," whilst others simply wrote "Legend" in honour of the metal icon.
The post has attracted unprecedented engagement as mourners expressed how the image now carries deeper meaning. "This is so emotional, I love u man, hope it's nice up there," one follower wrote, whilst another commented: "RIP Ozzy Osbourne, the world won't be the same without you."
Many fans interpreted the uncaptioned post as Osbourne's understated farewell, with one noting: "He did really retire... rest in peace Ozzy." (sic)