Ozzy Osbourne has shared a touching message to his dedicated followers amidst updates that he is, unfortunately, unable to walk.
The 76-year-old rocker is preparing for his final performance, titled ‘Back to the Beginning,’ scheduled on July 5 at Villa Park. He will be reuniting with fellow rock icons Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward of Black Sabbath.
Suffering from a particular type of Parkinson’s disease since revealing his condition in 2020, Ozzy experienced a grave fall at his Los Angeles home which aggravated a previous spinal injury.
According to the NHS, Parkinson’s is a health condition that leads to parts of the brain becoming damaged, with symptoms including involuntary shaking, slow movement and stiff muscles. Ozzy was diagnosed with the rare genetic type Parkin 2.
Despite these health struggles and reportedly being unable to walk, Ozzy seems resolute in bidding his fanbase a proper goodbye with this last performance to end his live career, reports Gloucestershire Live.
As reported by Parade, Ozzy made a new statement: “My fans have supported me for so many years, and I really want to thank them and say a proper goodbye to them. That is what the Villa Park show is about.”
He went on to confess how making music and producing two albums saved him during some incredibly challenging times, disclosing: “There’s been times when I thought my number was up. I’d have gone nuts without music.”
The legendary metal musician, was diagnosed with Parkinsonian Syndrome in the 2000s, a condition that encompasses various neurological disorders impacting movement and can cause tremors.
The Prince of Darkness is set to be the subject of an upcoming documentary titled ‘No Escape From Now,’ which will delve into his health struggles and his last performance with Black Sabbath. The film is slated for release on Paramount+ in 2025 and, according to Variety, will “reveal the devastating setbacks” Ozzy has endured since a serious fall in 2019.
In 2003, Ozzy had an accident on a quad bike that led to him having metal rods put into his back, but after his 2019 fall, these rods shifted. The singer opened up about his surgeries in a previous interview.
Discussing his surgeries with Rolling Stone UK, the singer 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.”
You can learn more about Ozzy’s ‘Back to the Beginning’ concert via the website here.