The legendary rock star has a few things to say.
Ozzy Osbourne is setting the record straight. On the latest episode of SiriusXM's Ozzy Speaks, Osbourne sat down with co-host Billy Morrison and gave an update on his health and touring status.
“I’ve been working my guts out to try and get back on my feet. I’ve come to the point where Sharon says to me, ‘You know what, the truth of the marriage, you can't keep booking tours and failing, canceling," the singing legend said.
Earlier this month, Osbourne made the difficult decision to end his touring career. The 74-year-old rocker, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in early 2020, took to social media to share an emotional update with his fans.
"This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans," he began the message. "As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine. My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back onstage."
Osbourne said his singing voice was "fine" but noted that after three operations, his body "is still physically weak."
He added that he was "not physically capable" of completing his European and United Kingdom tour dates, both the onstage performances and the travel required to get to the shows.
Osbourne is now saying touring isn’t exactly off the table. “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?’ 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.”
"The f**king press drive you nuts," he said. "I mean, I looked in the magazine, 'Ozzy's on his last legs.' I'm f**king not dying… Come on, guys. Haven't I had it bad enough already? If I get OK today, if the doctor said to me today, 'Oh, you can tour, it would take another six months to get it together, you know?"
In October 2022, Osbourne's wife, Sharon, opened up about the difficulties of seeing her husband struggle physically amid his Parkinson's diagnosis.
"I just think of my husband, who was very energetic, loved to go out for walks, did a two-hour show onstage every night, running around like a crazy man," she told English broadcaster Jeremy Paxman in ITV's Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's. "Suddenly, your life just stops -- life as you knew it."
She went on, "When I look at my husband, my heart breaks for him. I'm sad for myself to see him that way, but what he goes through is worse. When I look at him and he doesn't know I'm looking at him, I'm, like, crying."
Even with Osbourne’s health issues, he’s still winning GRAMMYs. The rocker won the 2023 GRAMMY Award for Best Rock Album with Patient Number 9. He won the honor over the Black Keys (Dropout Boogie), Elvis Costello & The Imposters (The Boy Named If), Idles (Crawler), Machine Gun Kelly (Mainstream Sellout), and Spoon (Lucifer on the Sofa). Producer Andrew Watt accepted the award on Osbourne’s behalf, shouting out the late Taylor Hawkins and Jeff Beck for their support of the album.
“You won a couple of GRAMMYs. Well, what does it mean to you?” Morrison asked.
“It's an award. It's, like, film has the Oscars – music has the GRAMMYs. I'm not saying I don't like 'em, but I wish I could tour to back it up. ‘Cause I'm sitting at home, I'm getting these awards and he's OK. I don't mind it. It cheers me up a little bit for a few days," Osbourne said.
The Osbournes relocated back to the U.K. permanently as they begin filming their family's new reality show, Home to Roost.
Ozzy Speaks airs monthly on SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard, Osbourne's exclusive SiriusXM channel. The newest episode airs on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. EST and will be available on the SiriusXM app.
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