The rocker helped define the sound, look and attitude of metal. But his persistence through addiction, his connection to audience and a late-career reality TV show endeared him to generations.

The frontman, who with Black Sabbath helped pioneer heavy metal in 1970s England, always found new ways to reinvent himself.

The rocker helped define the sound, look and attitude of metal. But his persistence through addiction, his connection to audience and a late-career reality TV show endeared him to…