Ozzy Osbourne, the howling singer, madcap showman and self-anointed “prince of darkness” who helped pioneer heavy metal’s thunderous, earsplitting sound as the front man for Black Sabbath, has died. The Osbourne family said in a statement: "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. Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15. Black Sabbath were Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne. You were the greatest of all time.”Ozzy Osbourne performs on stage with Black Sabbath at Hammersmith Odeon, London, in 1976.