Ozzy Osbourne has faced a number of health problems over the course of his storied career, but in 2020, the musician shocked fans by revealing that he had Parkinson's disease. The Black Sabbath frontman told Good Morning America that he was "no good with secrets," admitting that he had been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder just a year prior. Since initially revealing his diagnosis, Ozzy and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, have discussed his illness in-depth, opening up about his earliest symptoms. Read on to find out what led to Ozzy's diagnosis.
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Ozzy Osbourne experienced a fall and then numbness before getting diagnosed with Parkinson's.
ShutterstockDuring a Jan. 2020 interview with GMA, Ozzy told Robin Roberts that he had found out he had a "mild form" of Parkinson's disease after suffering a fall that resulted in him having to have surgery on his neck. "I got a numbness down this arm from the surgery, my legs keep going cold," he said. "I don't know if that's the Parkinson's or what."
According to the U.K. National Health Service (NHS), Parkinson's disease can result in nerve pain, which can cause a multitude of unpleasant sensations, such as burning, coldness, or numbness. MedicalNewsToday says that people with Parkinson's disease often experience sensory changes, like numbness, that "can happen long before other symptoms appear."
"There's so many different types of Parkinson's; it's not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body. And it's—it's like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day," Sharon told Roberts during the interview.
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Ozzy has a type of Parkinson's disease called Parkin.
ShutterstockOzzy is not the only celebrity who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's. Michael J. Fox was told he had the disease when he was just 29 years old, but the two celebrities actually have different forms. The rock star was diagnosed with Parkin 2, which is "not mainstream Parkinson’s, like Michael J. Fox’s," Ozzy told The Sun in Feb. 2020. "It affects regular things—like if you get a cold, it could be the Parkinson’s. Or, if I get a stiff leg, I think, ‘Is it the Parkinson’s?’ What I have makes ordinary living a bit more complicated."
According to The Conversation, Parkin 2—also known simply as Parkin—involves the Parkin gene, which is "involved in maintaining the energy-producing area of cells, called mitochondria." During an interview on Good Morning Britain, Sharon said that "it’s a gene that Ozzy was born with." She added, "Of course, Ozzy couldn’t get anything normal. It’s very rare. And it’s path isn’t like normal Parkinson’s that we all know."
Not everyone who develops Parkinson's is born with it.
s_bukley / Shutterstock.comScientists still don't exactly know what causes Parkinson's disease, although they believe it is a mix of genetics, environmental influences, and lifestyle choices. According to the Parkinson's Foundation, genetics are likely responsible for about 10 percent to 15 percent of all Parkinson's cases. Researchers have discovered dozens of gene mutations linked to this disorder, but are still studying what role they play in the disease. And even when someone has a gene mutation associated with Parkinson's like Ozzy, "the likelihood of developing the disease is low," according to the foundation.
Ozzy told Good Morning Britain he had known about his gene since 2003, with Sharon adding that Ozzy had always had a "weird way of walking," which might have been a result of the abnormality. "His doctors think his shock to his body actually started off this Parkin 2 gene," Sharon said, discussing how he was officially diagnosed with Parkinson's after his fall and neck surgery.
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But there are typical signs of Parkinson's everyone should look out for.
iStockWith various types of Parkinson's disease, signs and symptoms can be different for everyone, according to the Mayo Clinic. Nevertheless, there are some telltale signs that something may be amiss. For most cases, symptoms usually begin on one side of your body and usually remain worse on that side, even if they eventually begin to affect both sides. These could include a tremor in one of your limbs (often your hand or fingers), slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements, speech changes, and writing changes. You could even experience numbness or cold sensations, like Ozzy.
If you have any symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, you should talk to your doctor so they can not only diagnose your condition, but rule out any other causes for your symptoms, the Mayo Clinic advises.
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