Ozzy Osbourne has revealed he can no longer walk due to the effects of Parkinson’s disease, ahead of his final show with Black Sabbath in Birmingham this summer. The band will reunite for a farewell concert at Villa Park on July 5.
Speaking on his Sirius XM radio show, Osbourne said: “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.” He added: “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.”
Osbourne’s wife Sharon told The Sun: “He’s very happy to be coming back and very emotional about this. Parkinson’s is a progressive disease. It’s not something you can stabilise. It affects different parts of the body and it’s affected his legs. But his voice is as good as it’s ever been.”
The 76-year-old rocker previously appeared seated in a large black throne for his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction last October, and used a metal stand to lean on during a brief appearance with Sabbath at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In 2022, he told The Independent he was determined to return to the stage, saying: “I will get back on stage if it f***ing kills me.”
The farewell concert, titled “Back to the Beginning”, will feature major metal acts including Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Mastodon, Anthrax, Halestorm and Lamb of God. A supergroup featuring Fred Durst, Wolfgang Van Halen, Billy Corgan and Mike Bordin will also perform. All profits will be shared equally between Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Tickets go on sale at 10am GMT on Friday 14 February via LiveNation.co.uk.
