Black Sabbath will perform for the final time at Villa Park today – and it could well be the last time we see frontman Ozzy Osbourne on stage after his health has rapidly declined
Sharon Osbourne has given a concerning update on her husband Ozzy’s health as Black Sabbath gears up for their final performance at Villa Park today.
The band, widely recognised as the pioneers of heavy metal music, could be performing for the last time due to 76 year old Ozzy’s deteriorating health.
Sharon, who also manages Ozzy, had previously told him that his 2019 tour would be his swansong.
This was particularly pertinent as he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease midway through the tour.
Ozzy attributed an intermittent numbness in his leg to years of drug abuse and excessive drinking, reports Birmingham Live.
The European leg of the tour was postponed to allow Ozzy to recuperate at home. However, disaster struck when Ozzy “stupidly” decided to try “diving into bed”.
The rockstar hadn’t turned his light on and mistakenly thought he knew where his bed was, resulting in him crashing onto the floor.
According to Sharon, this accident exacerbated an old quadbike injury that Ozzy sustained in 2003.
He was rushed to intensive care and informed that he would need surgery or risk becoming paraplegic.
Ozzy described it as the “worst f***ing surgery you can imagine” and now regrets not seeking a second opinion on his injuries.
The operation involved placing two metal plates on either side of Ozzy’s spine, but the screws soon became loose, causing lesions and bone fragments.
“They still haven’t found out the damage, it’s so intricate,” Sharon Osbourne revealed about her husband Ozzy’s health struggles. She shared that they found another surgeon who worked to remove all of the metal from Ozzy’s spine.
She continued: “Five operations later, it just f***ed his body. It was torturous for him: Parkinson’s and damage to his spine. It’s just been horrendous. “
Despite his health issues, Ozzy has remained active in his career. He released the critically-acclaimed album Ordinary Man in 2020 and followed it up with Patient Number 9 in 2022.
In 2022, he performed at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham alongside his Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi. However, the legendary frontman had to have a bracket supporting his back throughout the performance.
Known for his wild on-stage antics, including biting the head off a bat, Ozzy admitted he was at his lowest, “praying to die in his sleep” when Sharon suggested reuniting the original Sabbath line-up for a final gig. She also wanted to bring together bands that had been inspired by them.
Ozzy and Tony formed Black Sabbath along with drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler in 1968. Some of the biggest names in rock, including Guns ‘n’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, Alice in Chains, and Van Halen, signed up to play the gig, having been inspired by Sabbath.
With Metallica, Rage Against the Machine and members of Judas Priest joining the billing, the all-day show has been hailed by some as the greatest ever heavy metal line-up of all time.
When discussing their upcoming performance, Sabbath members had mixed expectations. Tony Iommi joked that Ozzy Osbourne will probably be “sitting on a throne,” while Ozzy himself predicted it might just be a “couple of songs” from both the band and his solo ventures.
