Did The Simpsons predict Ozzy Osbourne's death? Viral video claim debunked

As the world mourns the death of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, rumors of The Simpsons predicting his death have been circulating online.

Speculations began when Facebook user @Heavy Metal Hard Rock shared a video claiming the musician's passing was featured in one of the sitcom's episodes.

The Osbourne family announced his passing in a statement shared on Instagram on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

While the message did not detail the circumstances surrounding his death, it noted that he died "surrounded by love." It is worth noting that the singer had been battling Parkinson's in recent years.

The clip features footage from an alleged episode from 1998 as evidence. The post went viral with over 9,600 likes and over 4,200 shares.

However, it is an AI-generated video shared to cash in on Ozzy Osbourne's death, and there is no such prediction on The Simpsons.

Ozzy Osbourne appeared in the 11th season's finale episode of The Simpsons

In the AI-generated video, the narrator details an alleged old 1998 episode of The Simpsons. It featured Homer watching a Black Sabbath concert when the "TV glitches."

A message then appears, reading:

"Final breath of the Prince of Darkness—July 2024."

It is worth noting that Ozzy Osbourne's fans lovingly call him the "Prince of Darkness."

The post then elaborates on another scene from the phony episode where the musician is singing at a concert while seated on a "throne" with a bat motif.

The narrator states:

"A few scenes later Ozzy sings while sitting on a chair, too weak to stand. He thanks the fans with a trembling voice, and on the wall, the date, July 22."

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Black Sabbath (@blacksabbath)

The video was referencing the Back to the Beginning concert held on July 7 at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham. It was a farewell show for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne.

Notably, he performed seated on a chair due to his Parkinson's disease. Photos and videos from the concert show Osbourne sitting on a chair with a bat motif.

In the clip, the band's name is spelled as "BLACK BEIOH." Notably, AI-generated content is known to have similar errors.

Further, the position and look of the TV keep changing in every scene. The scenes featuring Osbourne also seem like a bizarre blend of Simpsons-esque characters superimposed on a real photograph.

All this suggests that the video was generated after Ozzy's death.

Notably, Ozzy Osbourne (as a character) did make an appearance on The Simpsons. He first appeared during the final episode of the 11th season titled "Behind the Laughter."

The episode is set out like a documentary and shows a behind-the-scenes look at the characters.

One of the scenes featured Osbourne's character hosting the Grammy Awards.

When the Simpsons family won the award for Best Hardcore Thrash Metal song, an enraged Ozzy bit off the horn part of the Grammy award, then spat it out. It was referencing the musician's 1982 concert in Des Moines, where he bit off the head of a bat.

The singer was mentioned in the season 14 episode titled "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can." It featured Lisa participating in a Spellympics, according to Simpsons Wiki.

The competition's host noted that today's kids would rather watch Osbourne before imitating the musician and stating:

"Look at me, I'm a drug addict. Ho, ho, ho."

Per the Wiki, Ozzy Osbourne was also referenced in several comics based off the show.

Osbourne is survived by his wife, Sharon, and six children.