Ozzy Osbourne has been a medical marvel his entire life, somehow managing to dodge overdoses and battles with alcohol for decades.
This week, however, that immunity to mortality took a crushing blow when Ozzy revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Battling in Silence
Ozzy’s fans have known something has been wrong for years.
Even though Ozzy was still performing, the performances were often lackluster and even forgetful at times, as he would simply stop singing while the band played on.
Now, we know what was causing some of these issues, at least for the last year or so.
Osbourne stated, “It’s been terribly challenging for us all. I did my last show New Year’s Eve at The Forum (Dec. 31, 2018).
“Then I had a bad fall. I had to have surgery on my neck, which screwed all my nerves.”
At the time of his hospitalization, his wife and manager, Sharon, told the media he was in the hospital due to complications with the flu.
That, obviously, was all a ruse in an effort to maintain some privacy while Ozzy recovered.
That injury apparently led to the eventual diagnosis in February 2019 that Ozzy had Stage 2 Parkinson’s disease.
Sharon Osbourne stated, “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.”
Honestly, it is tough to see Ozzy struggling like this, as he was a staple for many of us growing up.
His stage antics coupled with his wild lifestyle put him front and center as a music legend for most of us that grew up in the 70s and 80s.
We wish you the best Ozzy, and hopefully, one day, we can get you back on that stage for one final show.