Ozzy Reveals He Was First Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease Back in 2003

Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, appeared on Good Morning America in January to drop a bombshell on the world: the inventor of heavy metal had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease on top of the myriad other injuries and illnesses he’d suffered over the past year.

While the metal world was sad to learn of the news, fans didn’t seem all that surprised, noting that the singer has displayed visible tremors, a tell-tale symptom of Parkinson’s, for some time. Now, in a new interview with the L.A. Times, Ozzy has revealed that he was first diagnosed with the disease back in 2003 but had been doing a good job of managing it and getting on with his life until this recent bout of misfortune.

After revealing to the L.A. Times that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2003 and that the medication he takes can cause short-term memory loss (no direct quote was included in the piece), he said:

“I’m not dying from Parkinson’s. I’ve been working with it most of my life. I’ve cheated death so many times. If tomorrow you read ‘Ozzy Osbourne never woke up this morning,’ you wouldn’t go, ‘Oh, my God!’ You’d go, ‘Well, it finally caught up with him.’”

And, well, ain’t that the truth? If there’s one thing Ozzy has most certainly not lost it’s his trademark self-deprecating sense of humor.

Ozzy has extensive touring of North America and Europe lined up for this summer — already rescheduled after the initial runs were postponed due to his health — although it remains unclear if he’ll be well enough to embark on the journey. He recently admitted there’s a possibility those tours won’t happen, saying, “If I’m well enough, I’ll work towards it. I’m having physical therapy every day, five days a week. I’m trying, doing the best I can. Neck surgery’s not easy.”

Ozzy’s recorded debut, Black Sabbath’s legendary self-titled album — widely credited as the first heavy metal album ever — turns 50 years old today.