Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76

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.

"He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.

"Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis."

Ozzy revealed earlier this year that he could no longer walk amid his years-long battle with Parkinson's disease.

However, he still managed to reunite with his bandmates Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward for their final gig earlier this month.

Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15.

After serving two months in prison for burglary, he decided to pursue his love of music and by 1970 Black Sabbath had gained a huge following in the US and UK with the release of their first album.

Ozzy quit the band in 1978 and divorced his first wife Thelma Mayfair, who he had two children with, four years later, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems.

He went on to marry second wife Sharon Osbourne, who helped him transform into a successful solo artist and the couple had three children together.

Ozzy gained a whole new audience of fans with the family's reality TV show The Osbournes in 2001.

He is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children, Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack.