On July 22, the world mourned the loss of John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne, the legendary frontman of Black Sabbath and a figure often hailed as “The Godfather of Metal.” The 76-year-old musician passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, just two weeks after performing a farewell concert in Birmingham. His passing struck a chord with fans worldwide, including the Twitch community. In just 24 hours, mentions of Ozzy in Twitch chat skyrocketed from the usual 30–40 messages to over 40,000.
The news of Ozzy’s passing sparked lively discussions in the chats of popular Twitch streamers like Zack “Zackrawrr” Hoyt, Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker, Nicholas “Jynxzi” Stewart, and Timothy “TimtheTatman” Betar. In some cases, streamers didn’t respond to the mentions of Ozzy in their chats — but that didn’t stop viewers from actively discussing his passing. Some creators, including Ben “CohhCarnage” Cassell, even referenced his death in the titles of their streams. The trend wasn’t exclusive to Twitch — many YouTube news channels also featured headlines like “RIP Ozzy” to mark the occasion.
Some broadcast titles after Ozzy Osbourne’s death
Ozzy Osbourne was a British rock singer and one of the founding members of the legendary band Black Sabbath, widely credited with pioneering heavy metal. Known for his powerful voice, dark lyrics, and wild onstage antics, he later launched a successful solo career and became a true rock icon. Some of his most famous songs include Paranoid, Iron Man, Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, and No More Tears. Osbourne is a multiple Grammy Award winner, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee with Black Sabbath, and a recipient of the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
Ozzy Osbourne passed away just weeks after an emotional farewell performance with the original Black Sabbath lineup at Birmingham’s Villa Park. During the concert, he appeared seated on a throne and was joined by Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward — reuniting for the first time in more than two decades. The show, held in Ozzy’s hometown, served as the grand finale of the “Back to the Beginning” charity event, which raised an incredible £140 million in support of Parkinson’s research, children’s hospitals, and hospices.
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