Ozzy Osbourne, who pioneered the heavy metal genre as the frontman for the band Black Sabbath, has died at 76, the Guardian reports. The news comes less than two weeks after Osbourne announced a new memoir titled Last Rites.

Osbourne was born in Marston Green, England, and raised in Birmingham. He co-founded Black Sabbath in 1968; the band released its first album, Black Sabbath, in 1970. The album was a hit, as were its two follow-ups, Paranoid and Master of Reality.

In 1979, Osbourne was fired by the band and embarked on a solo career, releasing albums including Blizzard of Ozz, Bark at the Moon, and No More Tears. He and his family starred in the hit MTV reality show The Osbournes from 2002 to 2005.

Osbourne reunited with Black Sabbath a number of times after his firing. On July 5, the band played its final show in Birmingham; Osbourne, who had Parkinson’s disease and emphysema, sang while seated on a black throne. Five days later, Osbourne announced that he would publish a memoir, Last Rites, on October 7. In a statement, he said, “Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can’t complain. I’ve been all around the world. Seen a lot of things. I’ve done good...and I’ve done bad. But right now, I’m not ready to go anywhere.”

Osbourne is the author of a previous memoir, I Am Ozzy, co-written with Chris Ayres, which was published in 2010. A critic for Kirkus called the book “an autobiography as toxic and addictive as any drug its author has ever ingested.” He also wrote an advice book, Trust Me, I’m Doctor Ozzy, in 2011. In an interview with Kirkus about the book, he said, “If you want to know the side-effects of a certain drug, why not ask someone who’s taken everything?...Back when I was a practicing junkie, going to the doctor’s office was like going to a supermarket—I’d walk out of the place with a shopping cart full of prescriptions!”

Osbourne’s admirers paid tribute to him on social media. On the platform X, the band Metallica wrote, “It’s impossible to put into words what Ozzy Osbourne has meant to Metallica. Hero, icon, pioneer, inspiration, mentor, and, most of all, friend are a few that come to mind.”

And the band Aerosmith posted, “From Black Sabbath to his solo work, Ozzy redefined what it meant to be heavy. He did it all with heart, grit, and that wild spirit only he could bring.”

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.