Rock star Ozzy Osbourne says has announced his retirement from touring, saying he is too weak to perform.
The Black Sabbath frontman told fans he was still struggling to recover from a spine injury he sustained in 2019.
“Never would I have imagined my touring days would end this way,” he said in a social media statement.
The star was injured in a fall four years ago, which aggravated injuries he suffered in a near-fatal quad bike accident in 2003.
“My singing voice is fine,” said the 74-year-old. “However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.”
Cybernics treatment involves the use of a $20,000 (£16,230) mechanical “exoskeleton” to help patients recover mobility.
With the statement, Osbourne cancelled all the upcoming dates on his Europe and UK farewell tour, which was due to commence in Finland this May.
The shows had already been postponed several times following his original accident and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time,” said the singer, “but in all good conscience, I have now come to the realisation that I’m not physically capable… as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required.”
He added that his team “is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country”.
Parkinson’s diagnosis
Osbourne has has suffered a number of health problems in recent years, from Covid to Parkinson’s Disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2003, but didn’t announce publicly until 2020.
Speaking to The Guardian last year, he said the condition had left him with mobility problems.
“You think you’re lifting your feet, but your foot doesn’t move,” he explained. “I feel like I’m walking around in lead boots.
Last year, he also underwent major surgery to remove and realign pins in his neck and back, which his wife Sharon Osbourne said “would determine the rest of his life”.
The surgery was a success, but left the singer in “agony”.
“It got so bad that at one point I thought: ‘Oh God, please don’t let me wake up tomorrow morning’,” he told The Guardian in the same interview.
Despite that, the star appeared at last year’s Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in his hometown of Birmingham, performing Iron Man and Paranoid.
During that performance, he had a back brace placed behind him for support.
In his statement, Osbourne said retiring from touring was “one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans”.
He went on to thank his family, his band, his crew and touring partners Judas Priest for their support.
Finally, he thanked his fans “for their endless dedication… and for giving me the life that I never ever dreamed I would have”.
( Source BBC)
