Ozzy Osbourne says he was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2019, the ‘most painful, miserable’ year of his life
Once known as the original Iron Man of heavy metal, Ozzy Osbourne has spent over half a century rocking stadiums full of his screaming fans without ever seeming to break stride. But 2019 was an extremely grueling year for the ex-Black Sabbath frontman, who has been on the mend and on the meds of late.
In an interview with Robin Roberts on 'Good Morning America' that aired on January 21, the 71-year-old heavy metal singer revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2019 and also opened up about the trials of last year which also included horrific injuries to his neck following a fall in his darkened bathroom.
"It's Parkin's II, which is a form of Parkinson's," his wife Sharon explained. "There's so many different type of Parkinson's. It's not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body."
Ozzy has suffered from tremors in public many times and was reportedly diagnosed with Parkin symptoms in the early 2000s. However, he didn't find out about his diagnosis until 2019.
"I'm not good at secrets, I cannot walk around with it anymore. I feel better now of owning up to the fact that I have a case of Parkinson's," he said.
It was also reported that he has been busy recuperating from two separate accident-related injuries last year, which eventually forced him to postpone his 'No More Tours II' world tour not once, but twice.
It is said that this will be the Prince of Darkness's ultimate farewell tour before finally settling down into semi-retirement.
“[2019] was the worst, longest, most painful, miserable year of my life,” says Osbourne, who turned up for the interview with his longtime wife and manager Sharon Osbourne. “When I had the fall it was pitch black, I went to the bathroom and I fell. I just fell and landed like a slam on the floor and I remember lying there thinking, ‘Well, you’ve done it now,’ really calm. Sharon [called for] an ambulance. After that it was all downhill.”
“It wasn’t really a problem for a while,” said Ozzy. “I never noticed any difference. Sharon was saying, ‘Are you okay? You seem different.’’ It was later revealed that the fall had complicated a previous injury that Ozzy had been recovering from - he'd, unfortunately, dislodged numerous metal rods in his body, which had been surgically implanted in him due to a horrific accident with a quad bike. He reportedly had to receive around 15 screws in his spine following the accident.
This fall in the dark was the latest in a series of health issues for the Overlord of Ozzfest. He previously needed surgery for an infection in his hand and also underwent hospitalization due to flu complications. He ultimately was forced to delay the launch of his 'No More Tours II' world tour, which left him "frustrated, angry and depressed."
Despite reports claiming the 'Under The Graveyard' singer was on his deathbed, Osbourne said that he was just taking a little longer to recover than expected.
“I screwed all the vertebrae in my neck and had to have surgery. I've got a lot more nuts and bolts in my neck now than in my car. I'm not dying, I am recovering. It's just taking a little bit longer than everyone thought it would." said Ozzy in October 2019.
He also mentioned that he wasn't really enjoying the healing process much. "I'm bored stiff of being stuck on a f***ing bed all day. I can't wait to get off my ass and get going again. But you're just gonna have to be a little bit more patient."
The singer did want to make it clear to his fans that he wasn't done yet, however - far from it. “I'm postponing the European tour because I'm not ready. I'm not retiring — I've still got gigs to do — but when I do come back on an American tour, I wanna be one hundred percent ready to come out and knock your f***ing socks off. And also, there's a new album on the way."
Ozzy's new album 'Ordinary Man' is slated for release on February 21, and his North American tour dates in spring and summer 2020 are still planned to go as per schedule. The singer's health issues will also be addressed in an upcoming A&E documentary, 'The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne', slated to premiere at SXSW in March 2020.