Ozzy Osbourne's message to fans caps decades-long legacy: 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart'

Ozzy Osbourne who was born John Michael Osbourne on Dec and later earned the nickname The Prince of Darkness from his shadowy heavy metal persona died Tuesday July after battling a number of wellbeing issues over the years He was The Black Sabbath frontman was known as much for his indelible mark on the music industry as he was for his larger-than-life personality be it on stage or in front of a camera while filming the massively effective reality show The Osbournes Two weeks before his death Ozzy reunited with Black Sabbath to perform at a star-studded farewell show in England an appropriately dark and electric send-off for one of rock's greatest legends OZZY OSBOURNE DEAD AT During his final show July at Villa Park Osbourne expressed gratitude for the overwhelming sponsorship as the band including Tony Iommi Terence Geezer Butler and Bill Ward performed together for the first time in years The -hour show was hosted by Jason Momoa and featured performances from Metallica Guns N Roses Jack Black Steven Tyler and others At one point during the show which was livestreamed in the U K legendary drummers including Tool s Danny Carey Red Hot Chili Peppers Chad Smith and Blink- s Travis Barker battled with their drumsticks while playing a cover of Sabbath s Symptom of the Universe OZZY OSBOURNE PERFORMS FINAL CONCERT WITH BLACK SABBATH BANDMATES AND MORE LEGENDARY ARTISTSFor the closing set the legendary rock star was lifted to the stage while sitting on a black throne accompanied by skulls and topped with a black bat He sang hits like Crazy Train and Mama I m Coming Home while remaining seated during the entire set You have no idea how I feel Osbourne communicated the crowd Thank you from the bottom of my heart Born in Aston West Midlands U K Ozzy was drawn to the theater as a child but he ultimately turned to music after listening to one particular song from The Beatles When I heard She Loves You my world went up like a shooting star Osbourne once explained Esquire It was a divine experience The planets changed I used to fantasize that Paul McCartney would marry my sister WATCH Ozzy Osbourne during his final performance with Black SabbathAfter leaving school as a teenager Osbourne spent six weeks in prison after being convicted of robbing a clothing store It was in he was recruited by Geezer Butler to be a vocalist in a band the would become Black Sabbath Their sinister sound helped pave the way for heavy metal music with their first three albums Black Sabbath Paranoid and Master of Reality credited as pioneering albums in the industry After gaining commercial success releasing three more albums and touring for a handful of years Ozzy threw in the towel in to pursue a solo endeavor Blizzard of Ozz He rejoined the group only to be ejected by Black Sabbath three months later and was replaced by Ronnie James Dio Ozzy had already been in the throes of substance abuse and addiction like the other band members he claimed in his book I Am Ozzy We knew we didn't really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control But we were all very down about the situation Butler wrote in his memoir Into The Void In one year after signing his first solo record deal Ozzy bit the head off a bat while performing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Iowa Osbourne later claimed the bat bit him and he was treated for rabies WATCH FOX NATION'S SHARON OSBOURNE TO HELL AND BACK Now a star in his own right Ozzy married his manager Sharon Arden July and continued his ascent to rock stardom The power couple later formed Ozzfest in the ' s the first heavy metal-focused festival that grossed more than million The Iron Man singer was diagnosed with Parkinson's in However he didn't speak publicly about his finding until He admitted that he couldn't walk anymore during a Jan episode of his Sirius XM show Ozzy Speaks I may be moaning about how I can t walk but I look down the road and there s people that didn t do half as much as me and they didn t make it he stated at the time The Dreamer vocalist struggled with a number of physical ailments over the years In he almost died in an ATV accident when his quad flipped onto him while he was riding around his London estate In the Mama I'm Coming Home singer underwent surgery to remove and realign pins in his neck and back Ozzy's back problems likely stemmed from the all-terrain motorcycle collision At the time he had crisis surgery for a broken collarbone and eight fractured ribs that were pinching crucial blood vessels and damaged vertebrae in his neck I m just waiting on certain more surgery on my neck he narrated Classic Rock magazine in May I can t walk properly these days I have physical therapy every morning I am somewhat better but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road LIKE WHAT YOU RE READING CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSWhen sought if he ever thought about his own mortality Ozzy reported he felt optimistic about his future as he looked back on the past At f---ing I ve done pretty well he noted I don t plan on going anywhere but my time s going to come Years after his success as a heavy metal rock star the Osbourne family became a household name in the early s when MTV took fans inside their lives as famous stars and the children of rock royalty with an unscripted show about the family The series premiered in and ran for four seasons with a final curtain call in The Grammy Award winner was candid about his drug and alcohol issues and upon releasing Black Rain in his first album in nearly six years reflected on the importance of the catalog I thought I'd never write again without any stimulation But you know what Instead of picking up the bottle I just got honest and declared 'I don't want life to go to pieces ' he described Billboard magazine The band reunited and played in May their first concert since The following year they embarked on a world tour which ended in June in London's Hyde Park Their th studio album and final tour was slated for but by the beginning of March Black Sabbath disbanded and Osbourne later declared he had no interest in a reunion Not for me It's done Osbourne reported Ultimate Classic Rock The only thing I do regret is not doing the last farewell show in Birmingham with Bill Ward I felt really bad about that It would have been so nice I don't know what the circumstances behind it were but it would have been nice I've talked to Tony a limited times but I don't have any of the slightest interest in doing another gig Maybe Tony's getting bored now Years before his death Osbourne reflected on the lasting legacy he wished to leave on the world as his Parkinson's illness progressed Survival is my legacy he narrated People magazine I mean I'm People go Well you're why don't I throw the towel in Why should I People still want to buy my records People still want to see me so why should I It motivates me to get off my backside and do something I mean if my career had gone down the toilet and I knew it was the end I'd be pretty miserable After his death the Osbournes disclosed a message to Fox News Digital It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to record 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 s privacy at this time Osbourne is survived by wife Sharon daughters Kelly and Aimee and son Jack in addition to daughter Jessica and sons Elliot and Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley