Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Ozzy: I have Parkinson’s... I can’t hide my pain any more
Rocker and wife Sharon in tears as he talks of struggles
OZZY Osbourne has emotionally revealed he has Parkinson’s – saying he is in agony and cannot hide it any more.
The 71-year-old former Black Sabbath frontman has suffered his “most painful, miserable” year since finding he had the condition following a fall last year.
Ozzy and wife Sharon spoke out following rumours about his health after he postponed gigs. He insisted he will perform again, saying: “I ain’t going anywhere yet.”
ROCK legend Ozzy Osbourne is facing his Parkinson’s battle in the only way he knows how – by getting back on stage.
The 71-year-old and his devoted wife Sharon revealed his diagnosis following reports that he was on his deathbed.
His last gig was over a year ago and a tour scheduled to start this month was pushed back to later in the year after what he calls the “worst, longest, most painful, miserable” year of his life.
But the ex-black Sabbath frontman said: “I just can’t wait to get well enough to go on the road, that’s what is killing me. I need it, that’s my drug today.
“I’ve done all of the other c**p – left that by the wayside, survived that – and I ain’t going to go anywhere yet.”
Former X Factor judge Sharon is also keen for him to get back on tour.
She said: “He loves to perform – it’s the air that he breathes. This is the longest he’s ever been home and it’s time for him to get back on the road, because he’s driving me mad. He really needs to get back out there.”
Ozzy said he can no longer hide his health struggles and is on a “whole host” of medication to treat his nerve pain after being diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder last February.
He said: “I’m not good at secrets, I can’t walk around with it any more.
“I feel better now for owning up to the fact that I have a case of Parkinson’s.”
He started experiencing nerve pain after undergoing surgery following a fall last January at his home in LA when he “landed like a slam on the floor” as he went to the bathroom in the dark
He said: “I remember lying there thinking, ‘Well, you’ve done it now’. After that, it was all downhill.”
But insisting he was “far from” his deathbed, he wanted to “own up” to his
condition for the sake of his fans. He told US TV host Robin Roberts on Good Morning America: “It’s been terribly challenging for us all.
“I did my last show New Year’s Eve [2018] at The Forum [in Los Angeles].
“I had to have surgery on my neck, which scr**ed all my nerves. I found out that I have a mild form of...”
Here he broke off and looked to Sharon, who said he has stage 2 Parkinson’s. Sharon, 67, added: “There are so many different types of Parkinson’s.
“It’s not a death sentence, but it does affect certain nerves in your body. It’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day.”
Birmingham-born Ozzy said it is not clear whether the fall, the op, or his condition was to blame for his symptoms. He said: “A year ago I was in a terrible state. I’m on a host of medication, mainly for the surgery. I’ve got numbness down this arm, and my legs are going cold. I don’t know if it’s the Parkinson’s or what. That’s the problem.”
The Us-based couple said they have exhausted the medical options there and now plan to travel to Switzerland in April to seek advice from a professor who specialises in the condition.
Sharon also spoke of the difficulty of putting on a brave face, saying: “I have to be there for Ozzy and for the family. Because if I break down and their Dad... it’s like, no, you just can’t do it.”
Steve Ford of Parkinson’s UK said yesterday: “Ozzy Osbourne bravely speaking about his Parkinson’s diagnosis and his journey to ‘owning it’ will do so much to raise awareness of this much misunderstood condition.”
Some 145,000 people in the UK live with the condition.
Last November, Ozzy announced his
No More Tours 2 tour, originally due to begin this month, would be pushed back to October – leading to speculation about his failing health.
He said in a statement at the time: “I can’t wait to get off my a**e and get going again, but you’re just going to have to be a bit more patient. I want to be 100% ready to come out and knock your f **** ng socks off.”
Ozzy found fame with Black Sabbath in the 1970s and was dubbed the Prince of Darkness, shocking fans with stunts including biting the head off a bat.
He was fired from the band in 1979 due to drug and alcohol abuse but the band have reunited several times, particularly at Ozzfest, a festival he founded with Sharon.
He wed Sharon in 1982 and went on to have three children with her including Kelly, 35, and Jack, 34, who found fame of their own after appearing with their parents on MTV reality show The Osbournes from 2002 to 2005.
He has three kids from a previous marriage.
This is the longest he’s been home, he needs to get back out there SHARON OSBOURNE SAYS OZZY MUST TOUR