After decades spent touring to play live music for fans, Ozzy Osbourne has determined that it's time to bow out. In a Feb. 1 post to Instagram, the Black Sabbath frontman shared that he won't be able to complete the tour he has planned, and is, in fact, retiring from touring all together. The 74-year-old musician said that the decision was necessary because of health issues he's been dealing with—in particular, the ones stemming from an injury to his spine.
Read on to see what Ozzy revealed to his fans in his emotional statement and to find out more about his health struggles.
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He has faced several health setbacks.
In recent years, Ozzy has dealt with several health concerns. As reported by Billboard, his wife, Sharon Osbourne shared in 2019 that after suffering a fall in the middle of the night, he aggravated injuries that he had suffered years prior in 2003 during an ATV accident. "And what he’d done was he re-injured his back and neck and shoulders," Sharon said on The Talk. "All of the metal rods and everything that were put in his body were dislodged. So we had to cancel his year of dates."
According to People, Ozzy has undergone multiple surgeries since then, the latest of them in July 2022. Additionally, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2003, according to The Guardian, but kept it private until 2020. He's also suffered from two staph infections.
He's devastated to be pulling out of dates.
In a post on Instagram, Ozzy made the announcement that he will no longer be touring and noted that it's "probably one of the hardest things [he's] ever had to share with [his] loyal fans."
He continued, "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. My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak."
He went on to explain that he will not being doing his planned European and UK tour—which was set to begin in May—"as [he] know[s] [he] couldn’t deal with the travel required." He added, "Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way."
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He's not done performing live, however.
His statement reveals that Ozzy plans to continuing performing live for as long as he can.
"My team is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country," he says.
In the message, Ozzy also thanks his friends, family, band, and "of course, [his] fans for their endless dedication, loyalty, and support, and for giving [him] the life that [he] never ever dreamed [he] would have." The musician notes that those who already had tickets for the tour can receive refunds at the point of purchase.
The tour had already been rescheduled multiple times.
The tour that was just canceled was originally scheduled for 2019 but was pushed back multiple times for reasons including Ozzy's health and the COVID-19 pandemic. The singer's final tour with Black Sabbath took place in 2016 and 2017, and he last toured as a solo artist in 2018.
Ozzy has performed live since then, however. In July 2022, Black Sabbath appeared at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, and in November 2019, Ozzy performed at the American Music Awards.
