Following many years of debilitating health concerns, it’s been confirmed that Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne won’t tour again.
Last November, the heavy metal icon raised concerns for his future on the road following further surgery on his spine. The chronic injury was first sustained in 2003 in a quad bike accident. A nasty fall followed in 2019, worsening the condition.
In a Rolling Stone interview, Osbourne said he hoped to return to the stage but might have to “accept the fact” that it won’t happen.
“I’m taking it one day at a time, and if I can perform again, I will,” he said. “But it’s been like saying farewell to the best relationship of my life. At the start of my illness, when I stopped touring, I was really pissed off with myself, the doctors, and the world. But as time has gone on, I’ve just gone, ‘Well, maybe I’ve just got to accept that fact.’”
“I’m not going to get up there and do a half-hearted Ozzy looking for sympathy,” he continued. “What’s the fucking point in that? I’m not going up there in a fucking wheelchair. I’ve seen Phil Collins perform recently, and he’s got virtually the same problems as me. He gets up there in a wheelchair! But I couldn’t do that.”
In a new development, Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, has confirmed that her husband will never tour again. However, he is keen to perform two final farewell shows for his global fanbase.
“He won’t tour again, but we are planning on doing two more shows to say goodbye as he feels like, ‘I have never said goodbye to my fans, and I want to say goodbye,’” Sharon said at her live show at London’s The Fortune Theatre on January 21st.
“His voice is still absolutely perfect. And all the time he has been off he still does his singing lessons. Even if you don’t like his music, you can’t not like Ozzy,” she added.
Sharon also suggested where at least one of the two farewell gigs will be held: “We will do it in Aston Villa, where Ozzy is from.”
Watch Ozzy Osbourne perform live in 2022 below.
