Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has spoken about his health amid presale tickets being released for the band’s Back to the Beginning show in Birmingham this summer
Ozzy Osbourne has opened up about his health struggles as fans eagerly await the Black Sabbath reunion show at Villa Park this summer. The 76-year-old rock legend, who has been living with a form of Parkinson’s disease, emphasised the importance of staying positive despite his physical limitations.
With pre-sale tickets for the July 5 gig already available and general ticket sales set to launch on February 14, Ozzy shared his thoughts on ageing and sobriety in a new episode of Ozzy Speaks on Ozzy’s Boneyard. In a conversation with Billy Morrison, Ozzy reflected on his life and provided an update on his mental and physical well-being.
You know what, Billy, I go on about the way I can’t walk and I can’t do this, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays?” He said. “For all of my complaining, I’m still alive.”
Ozzy acknowledged that while he may struggle with mobility, he’s grateful to be alive and is working to regain his strength. Billy responded by praising Ozzy’s resilience.
“Ozzy, that is the greatest way to think because, dude,” he said. “After all the s*** you’ve put yourself through, not only are you still alive, you’re still making music, you’re still having a laugh, we still laugh our asses off.”
In 2020, Ozzy revealed a deeply personal secret to his fans – he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease the previous year. It came after he suffered a severe fall at his LA home, reports Surrey Live.
The unfortunate incident not only exacerbated an existing spinal injury that he’d been grappling with for 18 years, but also forced him to postpone his 2019 tour. While Parkinson’s Disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder, the Black Sabbath frontman’s battle is particularly challenging as he was diagnosed with Parkin 2, which is a rare genetic variant of the disease.
The singer had previously been diagnosed with Parkinsonian Syndrome in the 2000s, which, while not exactly Parkinson’s disease, refers to a group of neurological disorders that affect movement and cause tremors. As per NHS guidelines, Parkinson’s disease is a condition where parts of the brain progressively deteriorate over many years.
It can lead to a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms, including involuntary shaking of particular body parts, slow movement and stiff and inflexible muscles. People diagnosed with Parkin 2 typically develop these symptoms earlier than others.
However, Ozzy’s health struggles extend beyond his Parkin 2 diagnosis. A significant challenge stems from the aftermath of a fall in 2019, which caused metal rods in his back (inserted after a quad bike accident in 2003) to move.
In a frank interview with Rolling Stone UK, Ozzy opened up about the impact of these surgeries. He shared: “The second surgery went drastically wrong and virtually left me crippled.
“I thought I’d be up and running after the second and third, but with the last one, they put a rod in my spine. They found a tumour in one of the vertebrae, so they had to dig all that out too. It’s pretty rough, man, and my balance is all up.”
Ozzy is coming together with his Black Sabbath bandmates for a final performance at a fundraising concert in Birmingham on July 5. The iconic heavy metal group will headline a one-day festival at Villa Park, showcasing numerous bands that they have influenced, such as Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira, and Anthrax.
The funds raised from this event will be evenly distributed among three charities: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice, and Cure Parkinson’s. This last cause is particularly meaningful to Ozzy, as he has been living with Parkinson’s for years.
