Ozzy Osbourne’s Heath: His Battle With Parkinson’s Disease, a Vertebral Tumor, and How He’s Doing Today
The singer has been a household name for decades, but in recent years his health has been at the forefront of headlines. Learn more about Ozzy Osbourne’s health here.
- Ozzy Osbourne is a rock musician who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019.
- Ozzy has had to cancel concerts due to his health.
- Ozzy revealed he has 10 years left to live ‘at best’ after a recent surgery.
From “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” to “Crazy Train,” Ozzy Osbourne, 74, has made his mark on rock music over the last five decades. Not only has the Black Sabbath alum won five Grammy Awards, but he has a dozen nominations under his belt. Not only is Ozzy known for his career as a rock music legend, but he is also known for his famous family. The Osbourne family is considered to be the OGs of reality TV families, as their show The Osbournes premiered in 2002. Ozzy has been married to his wife, Sharon Osbourne, 71, since 1982, and the pair share six children.
Aside from his impressive career in the public eye, in recent years Ozzy has made headlines for his health struggles. The “No More Tears” hitmaker was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 and it has since affected his ability to take the stage. In July 2023, Ozzy took to Instagram to reveal that due to his health he would have to opt out of his Oct. performance at the Power Trip festival. And in November 2023, Ozzy revealed doctors found a vertebral tumor during his most recent surgery. Keep reading to learn all about the 74-year-old’s ongoing health issues and how he is doing today.
Ozzy Osbourne Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease
The father-of-six was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in Feb. 2019 after a pneumonia battle and suffering a fall at home. Nearly one year later, Ozzy and Sharon appeared on Good Morning America to reveal his diagnosis to journalist Robin Roberts. “It’s been terribly challenging for us all,” the then 71-year-old told the reporter alongside his wife. After the recording artist suffered a fall at home, he revealed that his nerves were largely effected.
“I got a numbness down this arm for the surgery, my legs keep going cold,” Ozzy explained at the time. Soon after his fall, he underwent an operation on his neck which led to him recovering at home for the next year. “I don’t know if that’s the Parkinson’s or what, you know, but that’s — see, that’s the problem. Because they cut nerves when they did the surgery. I’d never heard of nerve pain, and it’s a weird feeling,” he added.
What Is Parkinson’s Disease?
I am now home from the hospital recuperating comfortably. I am definitely feeling the love and support from all my fans and send everyone a big thank you for their thoughts, prayers and well wishes during my recovery
— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) June 15, 2022
Parkinson’s disease is an illness that affects the nervous system and can largely impact a person’s nerves, per the official Mayo Clinic website. One of the earliest signs according to the health organization can be slow starting tremors. However, stiffness and slowing of movement are other tell-tale signs. Other symptoms of Parkinson’s includes impaired posture/balance, loss of automatic movement, speech changes, changes in writing, and more.
Although the disease is not curable, many people can go on to live with medical treatment. Some treatments include prescription medicines, surgery, and ultrasounds. At the time of Ozzy’s diagnosis reveal, Sharon reassured his fans that it was “not a death sentence” for her husband. “It’s PRKN 2,” his leading lady and manager said at the time. “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.”
How Long Has Ozzy Osbourne Been Sick?
Since the rock and roll icon was diagnosed in 2019 he has now been dealing with Parkinson’s for over four years. In Sept. 2022, Ozzy and his wife appeared on GMA once more to share updates on his health. At the time, they said his Parkinson’s was “slowly progressing,” whereas the aftermath of his surgery and fall were causing more difficulty. When asked how his mobility was at the time, Ozzy noted it was “not great” and that he has to “negotiate” the movements he makes.
Sharon revealed during that same interview that in Jun. 2022, Ozzy underwent another surgery for his chronic pain. “These metal plates were working there way out… the debris was rubbing on his spinal cord,” she explained. “He would literally be crying in pain some days.” Ozzy proudly added that after his surgery he had “improved quite considerably,” and now can hold his head up when speaking. By Aug. 2022, Ozzy was back on stage and performed at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in England.
How Is Ozzy Osbourne Doing Today?
Sadly, things took a turn for Ozzy once more in July 2023. The father of Kelly Osbourne took to Instagram on Jul. 10 to announce that he would not be able to perform at the Oct. Power Trip festival due to his health. “As painful as this is, I’ve had to make the decision to bow out of performing on Power Trip in October. My original plan was to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, and when the offer to do this show came in, I optimistically moved forward,” Ozzy wrote in the statement.
“Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I’m just not ready yet and I am much too proud to have the first show that I do in nearly five years be half-assed. The band that will be replacing me on Power Trip will be announced shortly. They are personal friends of mine and I can promise that you will not be disappointed,” he went on to write. “Above all, I want to thank my fans, my band, and my crew for their unconditional loyalty and continual support. I love you all and I will see you soon. God Bless, Ozzy.”
Furthermore, Ozzy revealed in Sept. 2023 that he was getting a fourth surgery related to the damage he sustained in this back from a fall in 2019. “I’m going for an epidural soon because what they’ve discovered is the neck has been fixed,” he said on an episode of The Osbournes Podcast. “Below the neck there’s two vertebrae where the bike hit me and disintegrated, there’s nothing left of ’em. All I know is right now is right now I’m in a lot of pain. I’m in a lot of discomfort,” he added.
In November 2023, Ozzy sat down for an interview with Rolling Stone UK and revealed he has 10 years left to live “at best” after doctors found a vertebral tumor during his fourth spinal surgery that same year. “It’s really knocked me about,” he said. “The second surgery went drastically wrong and virtually left me crippled. I thought I’d be up and running after the second and third, but with the last one they put a f***ing rod in my spine. They found a tumor in one of the vertebrae, so they had to dig all that out too. It’s pretty rough, man, and my balance is all f***ed up.”
“But look,” he added. “I said to Sharon that I’d smoked a joint recently and she said, ‘What are you doing that for! It’ll f***ing kill you!’ I said, ‘How long do you want me to f***ing live for?!’ At best, I’ve got ten years left and when you’re older, time picks up speed.”