The heavy metal band have paid tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne

Black Sabbath have released a touching tribute to their late frontman, Ozzy Osbourne.

The legendary rock star passed away aged 76, according to a statement from his family.

Osbourne had just performed a farewell show with the band at Villa Park, in a star-studded concert which included, for the first time in two decades, Black Sabbath’s original line-up of Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, and Osbourne.

The likes of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, and legends such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Slayer took to the stage as well as the iconic 70s heavy metal band.

In a heartfelt post following his passing, Black Sabbath posted a photo of Ozzy in his iconic throne on stage, simply captioned: “Ozzy Forever”.

Osbourne was 76-years-old at the time of his death (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Osbourne’s family broke news of his passing in an emotional statement, reading: “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.”

Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, and was then forced to cancel a number of tour shows.

Following a fall that year, the Birmingham-born personality also suffered from a number of other health problems.

In the comments of their Instagram post, fans have paid their respects to a man who was a monumental figure in popularising the heavy metal genre.

One wrote: “RIP Prince of darkness,” with another adding: “THANK YOU, OZZY”.

A third commented, referencing his nickname: “May his soul rest in peace, prince of darkness.”

Other iconic bands have also been quick to pay tribute to the ‘Crazy Train’ star, with Metallica also taking to Instagram to share an old photo of the band with the Black Sabbath frontman.

They simply captioned the post with a broken heart emoji.

Ronnie Wood, a member of the Rolling Stones who also performed at Osbourne’s farewell show, Back To The Beginning, earlier this month, took to social media to pay his respects.

“I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne, what a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham,” Wood wrote.

The music world has paid tribute to a rock great (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Fellow 70s’ star Elton John also took to Instagram to write a heartfelt message about his friend.

“So sad to hear the news of @ozzyosbourne passing away,” the ‘Rocketman’ singer wrote.

“He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend.

“He was also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love,” John concluded.

The so-called Prince of Darkness will be missed.