Ozzy Osbourne Provides Health Updates Following His Retirement From Touring

Ozzy Osbourne established himself as heavy metal’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ early on as a singer for Black Sabbath and has remained one of metal’s most powerful voices for over 50 years. After leaving Sabbath in 1979 Osbourne began a solo career blazing through the 1980s in a storm of controversy and drug abuse while releasing iconic albums such as 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz and 1981’s Diary of a Madman. Osbourne has suffered a number of health problems in recent years due to Parkinson’s Disease which he was diagnosed with in 2003 but didn’t announce publicly until 2020.

In late January, the 74-year-old Black Sabbath singer declared his retirement from touring to concentrate on his health. Ozzy gave an update on his health while speaking on SiriusXM’s ‘Ozzy Speaks’ on his Ozzy’s Boneyard channel after claiming the media overreacted to his tour announcement.

“This f–king press drive you nuts. I mean, I, I looked in the magazine, ‘Ozzy’s on his last legs,’ I’m f–king not dying,” Ozzy told co-host Billy Morrison.

“I’ve been working my guts out to try and get back on my feet,” Ozzy continued, adding that he chose to cancel his tour after consulting with his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne. “I’ve come to the point where Sharon says to me, ‘You know what, the truth of the matter, you can’t keep booking tours and failing, cancelling,’” Ozzy recalled.

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“So, if I can ever get back to where I can tour again, fine. But right now, if you said to me, ‘Can you go on the road in a month?’” Ozzy explained. “I couldn’t say yes. I mean, if I could tour I’d tour. But right now I can’t book tours because right now, I don’t think I could pull them off.” Even when he was physically fit, Ozzy acknowledged that a tour would not happen overnight.

“Come on, guys. Haven’t I had it bad enough already?” Ozzy asked. “If I get okay today, if the doctor said to me today, ‘Oh, you can tour,’ it would take another six months to get it together, you know?” Ozzy also acknowledged that he is frustrated by his inability to travel, despite his strong desire to do so. “You’ve got no idea,” Ozzy said. “I feel like a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest.”

The ‘No More Tours 2’ UK and European shows were pushed back a number of times due to the musician’s poor health and the pandemic before being rescheduled for 2023. He was due to perform shows in Nottingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin, London and Birmingham across May and June. Keep an eye on Thirsty for the most latest updates.

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