POLICE IN CROSS RIVER STATE(BN24) — Calabar, Nigeria have arrested a 35-year-old man, Adeshina Gilbert, in connection with the brutal murder of a commercial driver, Agage Ternenge, in Obudu Local Government Area. The arrest, confirmed by police spokesperson Irene Ugbo, follows intense efforts by the Cross River State Police Command to apprehend those involved in the fatal assault, which authorities have linked to an ongoing land dispute between communities in Cross River and neighboring Benue State.
The incident, which took place on Friday, July 18, has drawn widespread condemnation after a disturbing video showing the assault began circulating on social media. The footage reportedly depicts a group of assailants attacking Ternenge, who was later confirmed to have died after being stoned.
According to a police statement dated July 21, Ternenge, a native of Mbanyam in Mbatyough Council Ward of Vandeikya Local Government Area, Benue State, had traveled to Obudu to deliver a waybill when he was ambushed. He was killed during what police believe was a fallout of a deepening boundary disagreement between Vandeikya in Benue and Obudu in Cross River.
Gilbert, identified as a resident of Abonkib community in Obudu Urban, is currently in custody as police continue their investigation. Authorities say efforts are underway to locate and arrest other suspects who remain at large.
Cross River State Commissioner of Police, CP Rashid Afegbua, condemned the attack, calling it a “barbaric act” and “a gross violation of the victim’s human rights and dignity.” He emphasized the command’s commitment to ensuring justice is served and assured that all individuals involved would be tracked down.
The case has sparked concern among residents and human rights advocates, particularly given the violent nature of the attack and its connection to a longstanding territorial conflict. Police have called for public cooperation as they continue their manhunt for the remaining perpetrators.
TEHRAN (BN24) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran is fully prepared for a renewed conflict with Israel, casting doubt on the durability of the recent ceasefire and warning that Iranian forces stand ready to strike deep into Israeli territory if provoked.
In his first televised interview since the end of last month’s 12-day war with Israel, Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera that Iran remains on high alert despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, which halted an escalating military confrontation that included American strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“We are fully prepared for any new Israeli military move, and our armed forces are ready to strike deep inside Israel again,” Pezeshkian said in the interview broadcast late Monday. “We do not rely on the recent ceasefire, and we are not very optimistic about it. That is why we have prepared ourselves for any possible scenario and any potential response.”
The war marked the most direct military confrontation between Iran and Israel in years. While the U.S. intervened militarily on Israel’s behalf, Pezeshkian insisted that Iran inflicted significant damage in response, even as Israeli officials have downplayed or withheld information about their losses.
“Israel has harmed us, and we have also harmed it,” Pezeshkian said. “It has dealt us powerful blows, and we have struck it hard in its depths. But it is concealing its losses.”
The Iranian president accused Israel of attempting to destabilize and ultimately dismantle the Islamic Republic through military aggression and covert operations. “Israel sought to change Iran, dismantle it, and eliminate Iran, its regime, and its society by unleashing chaos and striking the regime, but it has completely failed to do so,” he said.
The recent fighting followed a sharp escalation in tensions between the two regional rivals, including strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and retaliatory drone and missile attacks on Israeli military positions. The conflict prompted fears of a broader regional war, especially with continued hostilities involving Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis.
While Pezeshkian is seen as a reformist at home, his firm stance on national defense and confrontation with Israel reflects the longstanding posture of the Iranian state. Despite calls from the international community to de-escalate, Pezeshkian made it clear that Iran’s strategic calculus remains centered on deterrence and retaliation.
The ceasefire, negotiated with indirect U.S. and Qatari mediation, remains fragile. Analysts say that without meaningful diplomatic engagement, both sides could quickly slip back into open conflict.
WASHINGTON (BN24) — The Republican-led House of Representatives will adjourn for its summer recess a day early, a move that Democrats allege is aimed at avoiding politically sensitive votes on the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced Tuesday that the final votes would be held Wednesday instead of Thursday, cutting short the legislative week ahead of the chamber’s five-week recess. The abrupt schedule change comes amid intensifying Democratic efforts to force votes on making Epstein-related documents public—a push Republicans have resisted.
“They are actually ending this week early because they’re afraid to cast votes on the Jeffrey Epstein issue,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, the Democratic caucus vice chair. “This is a deliberate attempt to avoid accountability.”
Scalise dismissed the criticism, saying that committees would continue working through Thursday and that much of the chamber’s work happens outside of floor votes. He declined to comment on whether the decision was tied to the Epstein controversy.
The move deepens a partisan rift over how to handle the lingering public demand for transparency in the Epstein case. President Donald Trump’s administration has faced criticism over its limited efforts to release the full scope of Epstein’s files. While Attorney General Pam Bondi agreed last week to release select grand jury materials, the Justice Department has maintained that most documents, including any alleged client list, will remain sealed.
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the GOP’s approach, emphasizing caution. “Congress must be careful,” he said Tuesday, warning that pushing for rapid release of documents could retraumatize victims. “This is political theater. We can demand transparency without harming those who have already suffered.”
Still, the controversy shows no signs of fading. Democrats have repeatedly attempted to attach amendments to unrelated legislation in the House Rules Committee to compel the release of Epstein-related records—tactics that put Republicans in the uncomfortable position of voting to block disclosure.
Frustration among GOP lawmakers peaked Monday when Democrats prepared to introduce more Epstein-related measures during a committee session. In response, Republicans froze the process, refusing to vote on additional rules and effectively halting House floor activity.
While Johnson has promised a vote on a symbolic resolution calling for the documents’ release, that measure is now delayed until after the August break.
On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in the sex trafficking operation. The Justice Department is also seeking to question her, but no date for her congressional testimony has been confirmed.
Separately, Rep. Thomas Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican, and Democrat Ro Khanna are collaborating on a legislative maneuver to compel a vote on the full release of the Epstein files. That action is expected to take place in early September when lawmakers return.
Democratic leaders criticized the decision to end the week early as a dereliction of duty. Rep. Joe Morelle, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, warned that the shortened week will delay work on critical spending bills needed to avert a government shutdown by the end of September.
“We haven’t done appropriation bills,” Morelle said. “And yet we’re going to take extra days off to avoid pressuring the administration to fulfill promises it made to release these files. That’s unacceptable.”
The renewed focus on Epstein’s death in federal custody and his alleged ties to powerful figures continues to stir public distrust. Despite the Justice Department’s recent conclusion that Epstein died by suicide and had no “client list,” critics accuse the administration of withholding vital information.
Pam Bondi, who previously served as a prominent Trump ally and now leads the Justice Department, told Fox News in February that the Epstein files were “sitting on my desk,” further inflaming calls for full disclosure.
NEW YORK (BN24) — Columbia University has expelled and suspended students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including a library sit-in before final exams in May and an encampment during last year’s alumni weekend, the Ivy League school announced Tuesday.
In a statement, the university confirmed disciplinary measures ranging from probation and degree revocation to multi-year suspensions and expulsions, stemming from its internal judicial board’s findings. A student activist group claimed nearly 80 students were notified of suspensions lasting one to three years or permanent removal.
The crackdown comes as Columbia faces intense pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration to comply with federal demands after the White House froze more than $400 million in research grants and federal contracts in March. The administration accused the university of failing to curb antisemitism amid escalating campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Columbia has since agreed to overhaul its disciplinary procedures and adopt a revised definition of antisemitism to meet conditions for restoring funding. “Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission,” the university said Tuesday, adding that disruptions to academic operations violate campus rules and “generate consequences.”
The school did not release the names of those sanctioned. However, it noted that disciplinary actions were specific to policy breaches linked to the spring protests.
The impact of the federal funding loss has already rippled across campus. Columbia disclosed in May that nearly 180 staff members—about 20% of those tied to canceled federal grants—would lose their jobs or face contract nonrenewals. Research projects are also being scaled back.
Student activists say the punishments are unprecedented and politically motivated. “This level of disciplinary action exceeds anything seen before for peaceful protests,” said Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a student-led group. They claimed students must issue written apologies to be reinstated—an ultimatum many will reject.
“We will not be deterred. We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation,” the group said in a statement.
Columbia emerged as the epicenter of nationwide campus protests over the war in Gaza during the spring of 2024, when students erected an encampment and briefly seized a building, drawing national attention and prompting similar actions at other U.S. universities. Dozens of arrests followed.
Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has taken aggressive steps to clamp down on what he calls “institutionalized antisemitism,” cutting funds to elite universities and targeting individual protesters.
Among them is Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident with no criminal history, who was detained in March for participating in demonstrations. Khalil is now suing the Trump administration, alleging false imprisonment and defamation.
Cross River, Nigeria (BN24) — Police in Cross River State have arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the alleged murder of a commercial driver who was fatally attacked in the Obudu local government area. Authorities identified the suspect as Adeshina Gilbert, a resident of Abonkib community in Obudu Urban. He was taken into custody following the death of Agage Ternenge, a driver who was ambushed while making a delivery.
The attack occurred on July 18 when Ternenge, a native of Mbanyam in the Mbatyough Council Ward of Vandeikya Local Government Area in Benue State, entered Obudu to deliver a waybill. According to police, he was surrounded by suspected hoodlums who violently stoned him to death. A disturbing video capturing the assault circulated on social media shortly after the incident, drawing widespread condemnation and renewed calls for justice.
Police spokesperson Irene Ugbo described the act as cruel and inhumane, confirming that Gilbert is in custody while investigations remain ongoing. She noted that law enforcement is actively pursuing other individuals believed to be involved in the fatal mob attack.
The Commissioner of Police in Cross River State denounced the killing as a barbaric violation of human rights and emphasized the police command’s determination to arrest and prosecute all those responsible. He urged residents to refrain from mob action, stressing that due process and the rule of law must be upheld.
The violent death of the commercial driver has triggered serious concern across the region, with community leaders, civil society groups, and human rights advocates calling for swift justice and improved security. The incident has once again brought attention to the dangers of mob justice in Nigeria, where several such cases have led to tragic outcomes in recent years.
As investigations continue, police are urging members of the public to provide any useful information that may lead to the arrest of additional suspects, reaffirming their commitment to restoring public safety and maintaining law and order in Cross River State.
MANCHESTER, England (BN24) — Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford in a deal worth up to £71 million, as the club strengthens its attack ahead of the 2025–26 campaign.
The 25-year-old Cameroon international joins United on a five-year contract, running through June 2030, with an option to extend for an additional season. The transfer includes a guaranteed fee of £65 million with a further £6 million in performance-related add-ons.
Mbeumo, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season, will link up with Erik ten Hag’s squad immediately and is set to fly with the team to the United States on Tuesday for their pre-season tour. The move comes as part of United’s efforts to rejuvenate their front line after registering just 44 goals in the Premier League last season—their lowest total in the competition’s modern era.
Speaking after completing his move to Old Trafford, Mbeumo described joining Manchester United as a childhood dream. “As soon as I knew there was a chance to join Manchester United, I had to take it. This is the club of my dreams; I wore this shirt growing up,” he said. “I know I can reach another level here, learning under Ruben Amorim and playing with world-class players.”
The forward praised the vision being built at United, citing the atmosphere and ambition within the squad. “Everybody told me about the environment here and how exciting the future looks. This is a massive club, with an incredible stadium and amazing fans. We’re all determined to challenge for the biggest trophies.”
Mbeumo began his professional career with French side Troyes before joining Brentford in 2019 for £5.8 million. He made 242 appearances and scored 70 goals in all competitions for the Bees, establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s most consistent attacking threats.
His arrival marks Manchester United’s most expensive signing of the summer and signals their intent to mount a serious challenge across all competitions under Amorim’s leadership.
LIVERPOOL, England (BN24) — Liverpool have reached a £79 million (€91 million) agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for the signing of French striker Hugo Ekitike, marking a significant step in the Premier League champions’ aggressive summer recruitment.
Ekitike, 22, is scheduled to arrive in the United Kingdom on Tuesday for a medical examination before signing a six-year contract with the Merseyside club. Club officials, who remained in the UK in anticipation of the deal’s finalization, are expected to complete the formalities quickly. Once confirmed, Ekitike will travel to Asia later this week to join Liverpool’s ongoing pre-season tour.
The move makes Ekitike Liverpool’s fifth major signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. The latest addition pushes Liverpool’s total summer spending to £289 million, signaling their intent to consolidate domestic dominance and challenge for European honors. Sources close to the club suggest that their transfer activity may not yet be complete.
Ekitike enjoyed a breakout campaign with Eintracht Frankfurt last season, scoring 22 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions, including 15 in the Bundesliga. His performances earned him a spot in the Bundesliga Team of the Season and attracted interest from several top clubs. Last week, Newcastle United saw a £70 million bid for the forward rejected, falling short of his release clause.
Liverpool’s pursuit of Ekitike casts doubt on reported interest in Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, though no formal approach has been made for the Swedish international.
Before his rise in Germany, Ekitike spent time at Paris Saint-Germain, initially joining from Stade de Reims on loan before securing a permanent move. However, he struggled to make an impact in the French capital, scoring only four goals in 33 appearances for PSG prior to his switch to the Bundesliga.
The high-profile signing underlines Liverpool’s determination to reinforce their attacking options as they prepare to defend their Premier League crown and make a deep run in European competition.
Nigerian striker (BN24) – Victor Boniface revealed that he nearly completed a high-profile transfer to Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr during the January winter transfer window. The lucrative contract offered by Al Nassr, reportedly worth €15 million per year, was an offer the Bayer Leverkusen forward found impossible to decline.
Boniface, currently playing in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen on a €2 million annual salary, described the Saudi club’s offer as a significant financial upgrade that factored heavily into his decision-making. Despite his strong desire to move, the transfer ultimately fell through when Al Nassr decided to sign Jhon Duran from Aston Villa instead.
Speaking on the popular podcast The Culture League, Boniface candidly shared his perspective on the near transfer. “I have been injured so many times, if I go and play two, three seasons…the money was a lot,” he said, highlighting the financial security the deal would have provided. He also stressed that the deal was not just about him but involved the club’s interests as well. “There was also the club, who were offered 70 million Euros, and they wanted the money,” Boniface explained.
The Nigerian striker added that he was fully prepared to join Al Nassr, having packed his bags and even given away his designer clothes and shoes to friends ahead of the move. “The plane was waiting,” he said, describing the moment when the transfer unexpectedly collapsed at the last minute.
Victor Boniface’s near transfer to Al Nassr underscores the growing influence of Saudi Arabian football clubs in attracting top international talent with highly competitive salaries. The striker’s candid remarks also shed light on the complex dynamics behind football transfers, where player ambitions, club finances, and last-minute decisions intersect.
WASHINGTON (BN24) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled what he described as a “massive” new trade agreement with Japan, marking the conclusion of months of tense negotiations and ushering in a new phase in U.S.-Japan economic relations. The deal includes a 15 percent tariff on Japanese exports and a sweeping $550 billion investment pledge from Tokyo.
“We just completed a massive deal with Japan, perhaps the largest deal ever made,” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. “Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits.”
While Japanese officials have yet to confirm the terms, Trump said the agreement includes greater market access for American exports of automobiles, rice, and select agricultural products. He added that the trade package is expected to generate “hundreds of thousands of jobs” across the U.S. economy.
Japan had faced the threat of a punitive 25 percent tariff on its exports if a deal was not reached by an August 1 deadline set by the Trump administration. Prior to the agreement, Japanese goods were generally subject to a 10 percent tariff under baseline U.S. trade policy.
While Trump did not reference other contentious elements in the months-long talks—namely the previously proposed 25 percent tariff on cars or the 50 percent duties on steel and aluminum—Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported Wednesday that auto exports would now face a 15 percent rate under the finalized accord.
Japan’s government has not yet issued an official statement confirming the deal’s terms or timelines.
Following Trump’s announcement, Japan’s stock market responded positively. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index surged 1.8 percent in early trading on Wednesday, signaling investor optimism over strengthened economic ties and reduced trade friction between the two allies.
The agreement marks a major step forward in Trump’s “America First” trade strategy, which has prioritized bilateral deals and aggressive tariff leverage. The White House has yet to release a full text of the agreement or provide additional details about the timeline for Japan’s investments or U.S. market access expansions.
BIRMINGHAM, England (BN24) – Ozzy Osbourne, the heavy metal legend who rose to fame as frontman of the pioneering group Black Sabbath and later became a global icon through his solo career and reality television stardom, has died at age 76, his family announced Tuesday.
“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,” the family said in a statement. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
The family’s statement did not provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding Osbourne’s death. The rock legend had battled Parkinson’s disease since revealing his diagnosis in 2020, a progressive movement disorder affecting the nervous system that worsens over time. His health struggles included a 2019 fall at his Los Angeles home that aggravated injuries from a 2003 all-terrain vehicle accident, leading him to postpone all performances that year and announce his retirement from touring in 2023.
Just two weeks before his death, Osbourne took the stage for what he declared would be his final performance, reuniting with the original Black Sabbath lineup for the first time in 20 years at a farewell concert in Birmingham, England. “Let the madness begin!” he told the crowd of 42,000 fans at the massive tribute show featuring performances by Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera and other metal acts.
Born John Michael Osbourne in the industrial city of Birmingham, England, the singer who became known as the “Prince of Darkness” helped create the template for heavy metal music when Black Sabbath formed in the late 1960s. The band’s 1970 self-titled debut album has been called the Big Bang of heavy metal, arriving during the height of the Vietnam War with a sound that crashed the hippie party with menace and foreboding.
Black Sabbath’s impact on rock music cannot be overstated. The band’s second album, “Paranoid,” included such classic metal anthems as “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Fairies Wear Boots.” Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine readers. Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction wrote in a 2010 Rolling Stone tribute that “Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who’s serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath.”
The music was built on industrial guitar riffs and disorienting changes in time signatures, paired with lyrics that spoke of alienation and doom. As The Guardian newspaper observed in 2009, the band “introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to flower power” and “along with Altamont and Charles Manson, almost certainly helped kill off the hippy counterculture.”
Black Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 due to his legendary excesses, including showing up late for rehearsals and missing performances entirely. Bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler wrote in his memoir “Into the Void” that “we knew we didn’t really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control.”
Osbourne’s solo career proved even more successful than his time with Sabbath. He reemerged in 1980 with “Blizzard of Ozz” and 1981’s “Diary of a Madman,” both hard rock classics that achieved multi-platinum status and spawned enduring favorites including “Crazy Train,” “Goodbye to Romance,” “Flying High Again” and “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.” His ability to discover talented guitarists became legendary, working with brilliant innovators like Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde throughout his career.
Rhoads, who played on Osbourne’s finest solo albums, was killed in a freak plane accident in 1982. Osbourne released the live album “Tribute” in 1987 in his memory, cementing Rhoads’ legacy as one of metal’s greatest guitarists.
Throughout his career, Osbourne embodied the excesses and controversies that defined heavy metal culture. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo in 1982, snorting a line of ants off a sidewalk, and most memorably, biting the head off a live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. He later said he thought the bat was rubber.
The Alamo acknowledged Osbourne’s passing Tuesday with a Facebook statement noting that while his 1982 incident “profoundly and rightfully upset many who hold this site sacred,” redemption became part of his story when he personally apologized in 1992 and later visited the grounds in 2015 to learn about its history, “openly demonstrating humility and understanding.”
Osbourne faced significant controversy throughout his career, including a 1987 lawsuit from parents of a teenager who died by suicide while listening to “Suicide Solution.” The case was dismissed, with Osbourne explaining the song addressed the dangers of alcohol following the death of his friend Bon Scott, AC/DC’s lead singer. Then-Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne’s songs led to demonic possession and suicide, prompting the singer to respond: “You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs. You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.”
Despite his dark imagery and Satan-invoking persona, Osbourne typically sent crowds home with a hearty “God bless!” His look remained consistent throughout his career, featuring long flat hair, heavy black eye makeup, round glasses, and often wearing a cross around his neck.
After being rejected from Lollapalooza’s lineup, Osbourne created Ozzfest in 1996, an annual touring festival that became a launching pad for bands including Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.
A different side of Osbourne emerged through MTV’s reality show “The Osbournes,” which ran from 2002 to 2005. The program revealed this self-proclaimed madman as a doddering, sweet father drinking Diet Cokes while struggling with satellite television and warning his children not to smoke or drink. The show made him a household name beyond the metal community and earned him a new generation of fans.
Later television appearances included the travel show “Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour,” where he and son Jack visited American landmarks including Mount Rushmore and Space Center Houston. In 2014, scientists honored him by naming a newly discovered Amazon bat frog Dendropsophus ozzyi, noting its high-pitched, batlike calls.
Osbourne’s music career experienced a renaissance in his later years. His 2020 album “Ordinary Man” featured a title track duet with Elton John, with lyrics reflecting on mortality: “I’ve been a bad guy, been higher than the blue sky/And the truth is I don’t wanna die an ordinary man.” His 2022 album “Patient Number 9” featured collaborations with guitar legends Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo and Duff McKagan, earning four Grammy nominations and producing his first career back-to-back number one rock radio singles.
The rock legend was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, first with Black Sabbath in 2006 and again as a solo artist in 2024. At the 2024 ceremony, actor Jack Black called him “the greatest frontman in the history of rock and roll” and “the Jack Nicholson of rock.”
Osbourne married Thelma Riley in 1971, adopting her son Elliot Kingsley and having two more children, Jessica and Louis. He later met Sharon Arden in Los Angeles, where she was working in her father’s concert promotion business. Despite an inauspicious first meeting when she came to collect money he had spent on drugs, they married in 1982 and had three children together: Kelly, Aimee and Jack. Their relationship endured periodic separations and reconciliations throughout their decades-long marriage.
Music world tributes poured in following news of Osbourne’s death. Black Sabbath guitarist and co-founder Tony Iommi wrote on social media: “I just can’t believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park. It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him.”
Bassist Geezer Butler added: “Goodbye dear friend – thanks for all those years – we had some great fun. 4 kids from Aston- who’d have thought, eh? So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston.”
Elton John described Osbourne as “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.”
Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons called Osbourne “a giant” who was “admired and loved by millions of fans worldwide.”
Osbourne is survived by his wife Sharon and his six children. His legacy as the godfather of heavy metal and one of rock music’s most enduring and influential figures remains unquestioned, having inspired countless musicians and defined a genre that continues to evolve decades after Black Sabbath’s groundbreaking debut.
