Prior to his death, Ozzy Osbourne’s family, including his wife Sharon Osbourne and their children, had made Parkinson’s disease known.
The late Ozzy Osbourne has been praised by a charity for raising awareness of Parkinson’s disease. It comes following the news earlier tonight that the Black Sabbath member died, aged 76, this morning surrounded by his family.
Ozzy’s death was announced by his family in a statement issued today, just weeks after he performed at a farewell concert in his hometown of Birmingham. His wife Sharon Osbourne and four of his children signed the statement.
Ozzy received tributes from Parkinson’s disease organizations in the wake of the news. The late singer-songwriter had previously disclosed to fans that he had been evaluated for the condition just over five years prior.
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Ozzy Osbourne’s passing, which occurred shortly after his celebratory homecoming show, will shock so many, according to Parkinson’s UK CEO Caroline Rassell. Ozzy and his entire family helped so many families in the same situation by opening up about both his diagnosis and his life with Parkinson’s.
“They normalised tough conversations and made others feel less alone with a condition that’s on the rise and affecting more people every day. All of our heartfelt thoughts are with his family, friends and fans worldwide. His memory and the impact he left on the world will live on in all of them.”
Cure Parkinson’s CEO, Helen Matthews, also paid tribute. Ozzy’s Back to the Beginning concert earlier this month’s profits would be split between Cure Parkinson’s and two other organizations, it had been announced.
Helen expressed her condolences by saying, “We are devastated by the news about Ozzy and his family.” The most incredible and lively concert at Villa Park was produced just a few weeks ago by Ozzy, Black Sabbath, and all the other acts that made up Back to the Beginning, in my opinion. Ozzy’s tireless efforts have given Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice a lot of praise. Thank you, Cure Parkinson’s, for all of us.
Ozzy, who has faced various health issues over the years, announced in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The news was shared in an interview with Good Morning America whilst he recalled needing surgery on his neck following a “bad fall” the previous year.
He remarked at the time, “Our experience has been incredibly challenging. I had surgery on my neck, Ozzy went on to say in the interview, “and it screwed all of my nerves.” And I learned that I have a mild form of… “He turned to Sharon, who then said, “It’s Parkin 2, which is a form of Parkinson’s.”
There are so many different Parkinson’s types, Sharon continued. By no stretch of the imagination, it’s a death sentence, but it does have an impact on some body parts. It’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a terrible day.
In the same interview, Ozzy claimed that he had the condition under control. He added that, having kept the diagnosis from his fans for a while before the interview, he felt “better” about it.
He pointed out that he had had surgery and that he had been experiencing cold in his legs and numbness in one arm. According to Ozzy and Sharon, they were unsure whether the surgery had caused any of the symptoms or whether they were related to Parkinson’s.
According to the NHS, physical symptoms of Parkinson’s can include nerve pain in the form of coldness or numbness. Other symptoms of the condition include tremors, slowness of movement and muscle stiffness.
It was shared in the interview in 2020 that his son Jack Osbourne was the first to notice signs of the condition. Ozzy’s daughter Kelly Osbourne told Good Morning America: “Jack saw it first and then when I saw it myself, it … it’s really strange how this works because there are some days where I will walk in this house and I’m like ‘there is absolutely nothing wrong with him’. […] Then you come back the next day, and nothing has happened, but it’s like he can’t feel his arm and he can’t get off the couch.”
We’ve all learned a lot about each other over and over again, Kelly continued, “This just confirms how much we all love one another and how strong we are.”
Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine in 2023, Ozzy addressed the suggestion that he was “fighting his last battle”. Dismissing concerns in the media, he told the outlet: “You know, I don’t even think about Parkinson’s that much. Every time I scratch my a***, they put it down to Parkinson’s!”
Ozzy’s return to the stage for his farewell concert Back to the Beginning on July 5 was made public in February of this year. His wife Sharon kept fans informed about her husband’s health before he performed.
Sharon told the Sun earlier this year: “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.”
Then, whilst speaking to Music Week in June, Sharon said: “[Ozzy’s] working with his therapist every single day. He’s doing really well, actually. Ozzy’s number one thing in life is his fans, so he’s working hard to be ready for them, to make this show the perfect way to end things.”
Source: Mirror
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