Sharon Osbourne Promises Ozzy’s Voice is “Good As It’s Ever Been” Even Though He “Can’t Walk”
At 76 years old and having lived the life he has, legendary vocalist and soon to be retiree Ozzy Osbourne has certainly defied the odds. Usually rock stars with the kind of stories of debauchery and drug use attached to them that have followed Ozzy around over the years end with “and then he was found dead in a hotel room,” so the fact he’s still kicking is a plus.
Yet that’s not to say that in his advanced age, Ozzy’s had it easy in the health department. Nagging physical ailments, in addition to an ongoing battle with Parkinson’s Disease, has forced the “Prince of Darkness” to cancel numerous appearances, kept him from the stage, and forced him to axe entire tours.
Now with the focus on his and Black Sabbath’s farewell show in Birmingham this coming July, it only makes sense that one would question whether Ozzy’s going to be fit enough to follow through with the plans. While speaking with The Sun, however, his manager and wife Sharon Osbourne cleared the air about those concerns.
“[Ozzy’s] very happy to be coming back and very emotional about this.
“Parkinson’s is a progressive disease. It’s not something you can stabilize. It affects different parts of the body and it’s affected his legs. But his voice is as good as it’s ever been.”
That’s good to hear, but a lot can happen between now and July. We’re really pulling for Ozzy’s career to get its storybook ending, after all. Earlier this week, Ozzy gave a similar update to his own health while talking on his SiriusXM radio show.
“I have made it to 2025. I can’t walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I’m still alive. I may be moaning that I can’t walk but I look down the road and there’s people that didn’t do half as much as me and didn’t make it.”
Too true, Ozzy. Too true.
The ‘Back To The Beginning’ Concert will take place on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, U.K. Along with a final solo performance by Ozzy and the final time the original Black Sabbath lineup will play together, the concert event will feature a veritable who’s who of metal titans. We’re talking Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Anthrax, Alice In Chains, Mastodon…the list goes on and seemingly will continue to grow in numbers before the event takes place.
Regardless of what comes next, Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s legacy is already cemented in the halls of history. It would just be so awesome to see them take their final bows.
