Politics
Ozzy Osbourne Announces Major Personal News: ‘I Want To Say Goodbye’
Ozzy Osbourne, the 75-year-old black metal legend who inspired generations of rock artists since the formation of his foundational band Black Sabbath, is bidding farewell to live concerts by the end of the year.
In remarks captured by the American Tribune, the “War Pigs” singer-songwriter said he will play two final shows in his hometown of Birmingham, England at later dates to be announced. While his steely vocals remain as strong as ever, Osbourne has spent years recovering from a 2019 fall in his home which required multiple surgeries. The spill reopened old wounds from an ATV crash which nearly took his life in 2003, the same year he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Canceling his planned tour at the time, the rocker told fans, “This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans … As you may all know, four years ago this month I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine. My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage.”
“I am honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held on to your tickets for all this time, but in all good conscience I have now come to the realisation that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required,” he added.
His wife Sharon, the matriarch of his well-known family, added that the two final shows will be an opportunity to her husband to give his legions of fans a proper send-off.
“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 properly.’ We will do it in Aston Villa where Ozzy is from.
“His voice is still absolutely perfect. And all the time he has been off he still does his singing lessons so his voice is perfect. And he can joke yeah. He has all these melodies in his head. Even if you don’t like his music you can’t not like Ozzy, he just draws you in,” she added.
Even in an era of Ozzfest without Ozzy, the Sabbath frontman has promised to continue writing and recording. His latest album “Patient Number 9″ was released in 2022 and garnered largely positive reviews from critics.
He added he’ll drop dead before missing those final two shows.
“For whatever reason, that’s my goal to work to. To do those shows. If it’s at Ozzfest or somewhere, or even a f***ing gig at the Roundhouse. If I can’t continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, ‘Hi guys, thanks so much for my life,’ That’s what I’m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man.”