It’s now official. Nearly a week after Ozzy Osbourne’s sudden passing at age 76, Los Angeles County has released his death certificate — and the cause is heartbreakingly clear. According to the official document obtained by TMZ, Osbourne died from “acute myocardial infarction,” the medical term for a massive heart attack.
The certificate also listed other contributing factors — including long-term hypertension and diabetes — conditions the Black Sabbath frontman had publicly battled in recent years. His wife, Sharon Osbourne, shared a quiet statement soon after the news broke, writing on Instagram, “He didn’t go screaming. He went quiet. I was holding his hand.”
In that same post, she shared an early portrait of Ozzy from his Birmingham days — a moment that triggered an outpouring of grief across social media. One fan wrote beneath the photo, “You were my childhood, my soundtrack, my everything.” Others lit candles outside his Hollywood Walk of Fame star, with video footage captured in a viral clip viewed over 8 million times.
Unreal scene tonight outside Ozzy Osbourne’s star. The candlelight, the tears, the music — it’s church. #OzzyForever— Man Cave Classics (@mancaveclassics) August 4, 2025
Ozzy was pronounced dead at 7:28 a.m. on July 30 at his Los Angeles residence. Emergency responders had been called after he reportedly collapsed in his bedroom, according to this detailed People article documenting the timeline. Paramedics attempted resuscitation for nearly 20 minutes, but by the time they reached Cedars-Sinai, it was already too late.
The confirmation of a heart attack doesn’t come as a shock to those who followed his long medical journey. Osbourne had endured a series of health setbacks over the last decade, including a severe fall in 2019 that worsened a spinal injury from a 2003 ATV crash. His candid admission during a 2023 NME interview struck a chord: “I’m not scared of dying. I’m scared of being trapped in this broken body.”
That same year, the rocker revealed he’d been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2003, choosing to hide the diagnosis from fans for nearly 20 years. During an emotional sit-down with Piers Morgan, he explained why: “I didn’t want pity. I just wanted to live as loud as I could.”
Osbourne’s body had been deteriorating rapidly in the last few years. His final public statement came in February 2025 when he canceled all remaining performances. As he explained in a heartbreaking letter to fans, “My body is telling me to stop — I just wish my heart wasn’t so loud.”
Despite his physical state, Osbourne was present for a friend’s wedding just six weeks ago in Palm Springs. Attendees who spoke to Page Six said he looked frail but content, quietly sipping whiskey and smiling during toasts.
Now, as fans pore over the details of the death certificate — released via a Radar Online report — one element stands out: Osbourne had signed a do-not-resuscitate order. Close family friends told Daily Mail that he made his wishes crystal clear, saying in his final months, “I don’t want to be half-alive. I want to die standing up.”
His daughter Kelly Osbourne broke down while reading a letter from her father in a Threads video that has since gone viral. “He said, ‘Don’t cry for me. Sing for me,’” she sobbed.
“It hurts. So much. But I know he’d want us to laugh through the pain.” — Kelly Osbourne #OzzyOsbourne #RIPOzzy— Music World Feed (@musicworldfeed) August 4, 2025
The music world is still reeling. Metallica’s James Hetfield released a statement via Louder Sound praising Osbourne for teaching him “how to tear the roof off a stage.” Post Malone, who collaborated with Ozzy in 2019 on the single “Take What You Want,” tweeted a photo with the caption, “No words. Just love. Forever.”
Even beyond music, the cultural impact has been seismic. The city of Birmingham has announced plans for a massive public memorial, as detailed by Birmingham Mail. Officials expect tens of thousands to attend.
A second tribute event is also being quietly organized in Los Angeles, per this Variety exclusive. Insiders suggest that surviving Black Sabbath members and close friends like Elton John and Iggy Pop may attend and speak.
Longtime bassist Geezer Butler broke his silence in a moving Spin Magazine op-ed, writing: “Ozzy never quit. His lungs may have collapsed, his bones may have broken, but his voice kept screaming.”
Ozzy Osbourne’s death is more than the end of an era — it’s the silencing of a scream that defined rebellion. #OzzyOsbourne— David Browne (@DavidBrowneRS) August 3, 2025
Osbourne’s death has also revived debate over the punishing toll the music industry exacts from its icons. As outlined in this recent Guardian feature exploring the strain of touring, Osbourne’s decades of screaming, falling, traveling, and drug use created an irreversible physical collapse.
Still, despite the pain and deterioration, he never stopped being Ozzy. In his final Rolling Stone interview, he leaned in toward the camera and said: “When I go, just remember: I was f***ing loud.”
Now, those words have become a rallying cry. Fans are sharing tattoos, spray-painting murals, and playing his records louder than ever. In death, just like in life, Ozzy Osbourne is still the one waking up the neighbors.
