Ozzy Osbourne feared health issues would never end
Ozzy Osbourne feared his many health problems would never end but Black Sabbath's upcoming farewell concert has given him "a reason to get up in the morning”.
Ozzy Osbourne feared his health problems were "never going to end".
The 'Paranoid' hitmaker - who has battled pneumonia and a lingering infection in recent years, had neck and spinal issues, which were exacerbated by a 2019 fall, as well as Parkinson's disease - is preparing for Black Sabbath's farewell concert in Birmingham, England, this summer and he admitted the all-star gig was conceived by his wife, Sharon Osbourne, so that he had "something to give [him] a reason to get up in the morning”.
He added to The Guardian newspaper: “You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong. You begin to think this is never going to end.”
The 76-year-old rocker has thrown himself into preparing for the 'Back To The Beginning' show at Villa Parkon 5 July, and has a trainer living with him to get him back to fitness, while a vocal coach visits several times a week.
He said: “I do weights, bike riding, I’ve got a guy living at my house who’s working with me. 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."
Ozzy warned fans not to expect the sort of energetic performance he'd have undertaken in previous years.
He added: "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 veteran musician is determined to do his best.
He said: “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up...
“We’re only playing a couple of songs each. 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.”
