Taiwan's music scene mourns death of Ozzy Osbourne

Taipei, July 23 (CNA) As metalheads around the world mourn the passing of British rock singer Ozzy Osbourne, Taiwanese musicians joined their peers in the global recording industry on Wednesday in remembering the heavy metal icon and discussing his legacy.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Osbourne's family said the singer had passed away earlier that day. The cause of death was not disclosed. He was 76.

"He was with his family and surrounded by love," the statement read.

Freddy Lim (林昶佐), Taiwan's Representative to Finland, who is also the frontman of the black metal band Chthonic (閃靈), told CNA: "The news left me in shock and sadness. I was deeply moved watching his final concert online just two weeks ago."

In addition to ushering in the era of heavy metal, Osbourne launched Ozzfest and "introduced a whole new generation of metal bands to the world," Lim said.

In 2007, Chthonic became the only Taiwanese band to date to be featured at Ozzfest, playing a series of shows across the United States while advocating for Taiwan's membership in the United Nations at their shows.

"He was like a god, and yet he was so down-to-earth, like a grandpa," Lim recalled.

"Thank you for everything you've given this world. See you in the next life," he said.

Meanwhile, the Hokkien rock band Fire Ex. (滅火器) told CNA: "Ozzy was a revered legendary musician whose work has profoundly influenced the music of many who came after him and helped shape the development of metal and rock bands for generations to come."

In a statement to CNA, veteran rock group The Chairman (董事長樂團) referenced Osbourne's 1980 classic "Goodbye to Romance."

"That was back in high school. One Ozzy Osbourne sheet music book cost a whole month's allowance -- and because it was so hard to come by, we all practiced it diligently," the group said in the statement.

"He gave darkness its own light. Having just held his farewell concert and closing the book on a legendary music career, he's now departed this world with the same fearless grace," the band said.

Osbourne had been battling health problems since 2003 when he had an accident in an all-terrain vehicle that caused him to undergo extensive back surgeries. In 2020, he revealed in an interview that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a year earlier.

Known as "the Prince of Darkness" to his fans, the Black Sabbath frontman was famous for his wild onstage antics, including biting the head off a bat in 1982.

His onstage excess aside, Osbourne showed undeniable musical talent, with the albums he and his bandmates released in the 1970s often credited with having pioneered and defined the heavy metal genre.

In February, Osbourne announced that he would return to the stage on July 5 for his final show at Villa Park in his hometown of Birmingham.

Despite being confined to a chair due to his illness, Osbourne, backed by all original members of Black Sabbath, delivered a strong performance. The show featured a star-studded lineup, who covered many of Osbourne's and Sabbath's classics to pay tribute to the musician.