This summer, Ozzy Osbourne will perform his final performance on Black Sabbath.
The rocker, 76, and Black Sabbath are reuniting for one last time, to play a fund-raising concert in Birmingham on 5 July.
The heavy mental legends will headline a one-day festival at Villa Park, featuring dozens of bands they inspired, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira and Anthrax.
The exciting concert will mark the first time that Black Sabbath’s original line-up – Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – have played together in over 20 years.
Ozzy will play a brief solo set before joining his bandmates on stage for the epic reunion, which will require him to halt his touring as a result of his Parkinson’s battle.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning…. Ozzy Osbourne said, “It’s about time for me to give back to the place where I was born.” How fortunate am I to have people I care about to assist me in this endeavor. The true home of metal is in Birmingham. Birmingham Forever”.
His comeback was announced at Villa Park by his wife, Sharon, and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.
Proceeds from the show will support Cure Parkinson’s, the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa. Other acts on the line-up include Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Lamb Of God and Mastodon.
Ozzy rescheduled touring after playing the Commonwealth Games’ final ceremony in 2022 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2020.
He recently told Rolling Stone UK that despite his health issues, he has strong desires to return to the stage.
Last year, he told the publication: “I’m taking it one day at a time, and if I can perform again, I will. But it’s been like biding my life’s most meaningful relationship farewell.
“I’m not going to get up there and do a half-hearted Ozzy looking for sympathy. What’s the]expletive] point in that? I’m not going up there in a]expletive] wheelchair”.
Ozzy shared his diagnosis of Parkinson’s in a 2020 interview with Good Morning America, and he has since bravely acknowledged his health struggles over the years.
He said the diagnosis was “terribly challenging”, and spoke about the complications he has suffered, including depression and mobility issues.
Former X Factor judge Sharon said her husband struggled day to day, and explained: “There’s so many different types of Parkinson’s, it’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body. And it’s – it’s like you have a good day, and then a really bad day”.
In 2022, Ozzy underwent major spinal surgery, and less than a year later, he announced he was retiring from touring because he was no longer “physically capable” of performing on stage.
“As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine. My only desire at this time was to return to the stage. My singing voice is fine”, he said in the heartbreaking statement.
“However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak”.
He underwent additional neck reconstruction in late 2023, and Sharon was honest about how her husband’s situation had changed since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. “I just think of my husband, who was very energetic, loved to go out for walks, did a two-hour show on stage every night, running around like a crazy man”, she said in the ITV documentary Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson’s in 2022. “Suddenly, your life just stops – life as you knew it”.
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Source: Mirror
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