Ozzy Osbourne’s official cause of death has been disclosed, a week after the heavy metal legend was laid to rest.
The Black Sabbath frontman, whose funeral involved a procession through his hometown of Birmingham, died aged 76 on 22 July – shortly after playing his final concert at Villa Park.
He suffered a string of health issues over the years, mostly related to neck injuries sustained in a 2003 quad-biking accident, which were later exacerbated by a fall in 2019. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease that same year, and also endured a bout of Covid.
The New York Times now reports that the rocker’s official death certificate lists his cause of death as “acute myocardial infarction” – typically meaning the death of tissue resulting from a failure of blood supply to an organ – and “out of hospital cardiac arrest”, or heart attack.
The certificate also listed coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction as “joint causes” of death.
Submitted by Osbourne’s daughter Aimée Osbourne, the document noted his occupation as “Songwriter, Performer and Rock Legend.”
On the day of the musician’s death, an air ambulance flew to his family home near the village of Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire, the publication reports.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Air Ambulance service said that its team had been “dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfront St Giles on 22 July”, but gave no further details.
The Independent has contacted representatives of Osbourne’s estate for comment.
Thousands of fans lined the streets of Birmingham to bid a final farewell to the self-styled “Prince of Darkness”, whose band are widely credited with creating heavy metal.
The hearse carrying the musician made its way from his childhood home in Aston to Broad Street, pausing next to the Black Sabbath bench and bridge where his family were able to lay flowers and read some of the many tributes left by fans.
In one particularly emotional moment, his wife Sharon Osbourne, 72, wiped away tears before kissing her own flower and placing it beside a poster that read: “Birmingham will always love you.”
Despite his many health issues in later years, Osbourne remained active well into his seventies. He was reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for their final album, 13, in 2013.
Meanwhile, he released a final solo album, 2022’s Patient Zero, with help from fellow stars including Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, and the late Jeff Beck and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. It went on to win the 2023 Grammy for Best Rock Album.
In his final years, the musician spoke often of his determination to get back on stage one last time.
His wish was granted at Villa Park, where he and the other founding members of Black Sabbath were joined by some of the biggest names in rock and metal, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tom Morello, Tool and Alice in Chains.
“It’s so good to be on this f***ing stage, you have no idea”, Osbourne told the audience.
In a five-star review for The Independent, critic Mark Beaumont called the gig a “celebration of the delicious darkness Osbourne and his coven unleashed over five decades ago, and the behemoth it’s become”.
