Music that can be read continues to find a place in bookstores. Throughout 2025, interesting essays, both controversial and necessary, have been published, along with well-documented and moving biographies, and more or less unexpected memoirs.

A few months ago I visited Birmingham and was surprised by the number of people boasting about being the city where heavy metal was born. And they kept recommending that I take a picture on a bench located in a canal area, where a few years earlier the City Council had held a tribute to the band Black Sabbath. It was full of people of all ages taking pictures. I did it too, amazed at how the city, with a reputation for being gray and tough, was reclaiming that group of fat young men who scandalized everyone in the late 60s and early 70s. Little did I imagine then that a few months later the band's singer, Ozzy Osbourne would die just a few weeks after giving his last concert at Villa Park, Aston Villa's home.

British musician Ozzy Osbourne, vocalist of the group Black Sabbath, died this Tuesday at the age of 76, according to reports. The Guardian, which includes the family's statement. "It is with a sadness that words cannot convey, we must announce that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne passed away this morning. He was with family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect the family's privacy at this time," the statement reads.