Ozzy Osbourne‘s Parkinson’s disease has progressed to the point where the musician is no longer able to walk. Speaking on his SiriusXM program Ozzy’s Boneyard this week, Osbourne discussed what fans can expect from his final live performance, which will include a reunion with Black Sabbath.
“I have made it to 2025,” Osbourne said. “I can’t walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I’m still alive. I may be moaning that I can’t walk, but I look down the road, and there’s people that didn’t do half as much as me and didn’t make it.”
Black Sabbath will perform together live for the first time since 2005 at what’s being called Back to the Beginning, an all-star, one-night-only charity gig in Birmingham, England on July 5. Also on the lineup for Osbourne’s farewell party at Back to the Beginning: Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, and more, with Tom Morello serving as musical director.
Osbourne’s wife Sharon Osbourne reiterated the news of his condition in an interview with the Sun after the concert was announced. “He’s very happy to be coming back and very emotional about this,” she said. “Parkinson’s is a progressive disease. It’s not something you can stabilize. It affects different parts of the body and it’s affected his legs. But his voice is as good as it’s ever been.”
Speaking to the BBC, she confirmed this will be his last performance. “He’s so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends,” Sharon said. “It’s exciting for everyone. Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s no been no full stop. This is his full stop.”
In recent years, as Osbourne battled Parkinson’s disease and underwent several spinal surgeries, the singer remained optimistic about giving fans one final performance. Osbourne was due to return to the stage in 2023 at the Power Trip festival, but that appearance was canceled due to medical issues.
“I’m taking it one day at a time, and if I can perform again, I will,” Osbourne told Rolling Stone UK in November 2023. “But it’s been like saying farewell to the best relationship of my life. At the start of my illness, when I stopped touring, I was really pissed off with myself, the doctors, and the world. But as time has gone on, I’ve just gone, ‘Well, maybe I’ve just got to accept that fact.’”
Proceeds from Back to the Beginning will benefit Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and the Birmingham-based Acorns Children’s Hospice. The gig will take place at Osbourne’s Villa Park, the home stadium of his beloved Aston Villa soccer team.
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