Ozzy Osbourne Shares Health Update Ahead of Final Concert

Ozzy Osbourne is doing everything he can to prepare for his final show with Black Sabbath in July.

The musician, who is suffering from Parkinson’s, told The Guardian in an extensive interview he will perform despite concerns about his heath. “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can,” he confirmed.

The concert, called Back to the Beginning, is set for Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5. It features an all-star supporting lineup of metal bands, including Metallica, Tool, Slayer, and Anthrax, and boasts Tom Morello as its musical director. In the interview, Osbourne noted that the event was conceived by his wife Sharon Osbourne as a way to motivate him.

“You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong,” the musician recounted. “You begin to think this is never going to end. Sharon could see that I was in Doom Town, and she says to me, ‘I’ve got an idea.’ It was something to give me a reason to get up in the morning. I thought: Oh, fucking hell, she’s got an idea. Here we go.”

The charity concert will feature the reunion of Black Sabbath’s original lineup and is being hailed as Osbourne’s final live show. The four original members — Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward — will come back together for the special event. Osbourne told The Guardian the relationship between the musicians is “like a marriage: you have a row with the wife, but then you make up again.”

Iommi added, “I’m the one that said, ‘I don’t know if we should do it’, because we did a farewell tour and I didn’t want to get into that thing like all the other bands are doing, saying it’s the last tour and then reappearing again. But I’ve been convinced, because we’re doing it for a reason.” 

The band has been carefully considering how to stage the concert due to Osbourne’s physical limitations. Butler noted, “I’m already having palpitations. In fact, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed everything went wrong on stage and we all turned to dust. It’s important that we leave a great impression, since it’s the final time that people will experience us live. So it has to be great on the night.”

Osbourne confirmed that he won’t be able to perform a full set. “We’re only playing a couple of songs each,” he said. “I don’t want people thinking, ‘We’re getting ripped off’, because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample, you’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”

The musician also explained that he’s been doing extensive preparation to ensure he will be ready.

“I do weights, bike riding, I’ve got a guy living at my house who’s working with me,” he said. “It’s tough – I’ve been laid up for such a long time. I’ve been lying on my back doing nothing and the first thing to go is your strength. It’s like starting all over again. I’ve got a vocal coach coming round four days a week to keep my voice going. I have problems walking. I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs. I’m used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around. I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down, but the point is I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up.”

Osbourne acknowledged that while he would like to continue performing, this will be the official end of his live career.

“I’d love to say ‘never say never’, but after the last six years or so … it is time,” he said. “I lived on the road for 50-odd years, and I’ve kind of got used to not picking up my bags and getting on the bus again. I don’t smoke dope or do any of the rock star lifestyle any more. I’m kind of like a homebody. I never go out. I never hang out in bars – I don’t drink. So what the fuck is out there for me? I hate going shopping with my wife. I feel like stabbing myself in the neck after half an hour. But it’s time for me to spend some time with my grandkids, I don’t want to die in a hotel room somewhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with my family.”