Ozzy Osbourne's Tragic Real-Life Story

Ozzy Osbourne has seen it all, and a lot of it has been ... surprisingly awful, actually. The Black Sabbath vocalist, reality show dad, and solo superstar has been wealthy and famous beyond his wildest dreams since the 1970s, and during that time he has sampled almost every vice in the book. Unfortunately for the singer, his preferred lifestyle hasn't been without its share of tragedies.

Apart from being one of the most notoriously self-destructive men in the entertainment industry, the singer has had periods of extremely bad luck when it comes to almost all walks of life. From traumatic childhood events and personal tragedies to professional issues and legal problems, there are precious few unfortunate aspects of the human existence that Ozzy Osbourne hasn't experienced. This is his tragic life story. Fair warning: Things are going to get seriously weird.

For all his excesses, Ozzy Osbourne has often been brutally honest about his past issues. In 2002, he demonstrated this in a dramatic way when he revealed in an interview with London's Daily Mirror that he had been sexually abused when he was a child. His experiences date back to when he was an 11-year-old schoolboy in Birmingham. For a period of time, two bullies from his school used to wait for young Osbourne on his way home from school and subject him to physical and sexual abuse, which Osbourne refrained from describing in too much detail but summed up as "terrible."

As awful as the abuse was, the compound effect it had on young Osbourne's family life was even worse. The first time the bullies assaulted him happened in front of his sister, and he was too afraid to tell his parents about the repeated abuse. The stressful situation didn't do any favors for his mental health, and in hindsight, Osbourne fully admitted that the experience "completely f***ed [him] up." Because of this, he has made a point of telling his own children to always open up so they won't let traumatic experiences fester and turn into even bigger problems further down the line.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

According to the 2004 book "Ordinary People: Our Story," co-written by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, Osbourne's childhood was not an easy one. Undiagnosed dyslexia, bullying, and frequent punishments doled out by teachers and administrators made school a grueling experience for him. "Tired of being called names and getting beat up, I was around 12 when I eventually started to skip school on a regular basis," Osbourne wrote. But his life outside school wasn't much better, and by the time he was 14, the future superstar was seeking solace in alcohol, marijuana, and whatever prescription drugs he could find. "My head was filled with these insanely dark, depressing muddled thoughts I couldn't explain," the singer wrote.

One night when he was 14 years old, Osbourne "became so despondent, like someone drowning in the ocean," that he attempted suicide. Luckily, this wasn't the end of his story, as Osbourne's father came home just in time and stopped him. 

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No one likes getting fired from their dream job, and Ozzy Osbourne is no exception. Black Sabbath was a chaotic, crumbling entity in the summer of 1978. They were fueled by alcohol and cocaine, and the bad reviews of 1976's "Technical Ecstasy" and 1978's "Never Say Die!" were getting to them. It didn't help that the young, energetic band they were touring with — Van Halen — was outperforming them on a nightly basis. Something needed to change, and that something turned out to be the singer.

With his collection of childhood traumas and abuse, Osbourne's self-worth was intertwined with the success and praise the band had received up to that point. A couple years of poor reviews and rejection were enough to destroy his confidence, and he found it difficult to work with the band. Instead, he escaped the cruel world by diving in a pit of drugs and alcohol, and kept making excuses to his band members. The others kept trying to get their lead singer back on track, but ultimately they had no choice but to fire him in 1979. Although they have since reunited, Osbourne continues to view this as an act of betrayal. He admits that he was wasted out of his mind at the time, but he feels it was hypocritical to fire him because of that. After all, most of the others were using drugs and alcohol as heavily as he was.

To say Ozzy Osbourne was a bad husband to Thelma Riley is to throw away a perfect opportunity to use the word "abysmal." According to his autobiography "I Am Ozzy," the man himself is fully aware of this — and very ashamed of the way he treated his first wife. As Osbourne puts it: "I put that woman through hell. I should have never married her. She didn't deserve it. She wasn't a bad person, and she wasn't a bad wife. But I was a f***ing nightmare."

That may seem like an older man ruthlessly flagellating himself over the mistakes of his younger self, but the Prince of Darkness was just as bad as he describes, if not worse. He married Riley in 1971 and spent the vast majority of their time together living like a "married bachelor." He was often absent and routinely got wasted, cheated, and neglected Riley. Osbourne recalls a particular incident in California when he got off the phone with her and then proceeded to sleep with three consecutive women over the course of the night. He also notes that the fact that he discovered cocaine during their marriage didn't exactly help matters. All in all, he feels that the way he treated Riley is one of his few true regrets — and probably a justified one.

After Ozzy Osbourne's Black Sabbath tenure ended in 1979, few people expected him to bounce back as quickly as he did. By 1982 he was an established performer with two successful solo albums under his belt, and a huge part of this rebirth was his new musical partner, guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads. The guitarist's flashy style helped Osbourne express his own ideas, and the two became fast friends ... that is, until their partnership was cut tragically short on March 19, 1982, when the 25-year-old Rhoads died in a plane accident in Leesburg, Florida.

Rhoads, who was afraid of flying, agreed for some reason to go on a joyride in a small Beechcraft Bonanza. The plane was piloted by the band's bus driver, Andrew Aycock, who commandeered a friend's plane without permission and flew with an expired pilot's license. The plane buzzed repeatedly over the rest of the band, who were sleeping in a tour bus. On the third pass, the plane actually clipped the bus and spun out of control, and all three passengers died in a fiery crash. The explosion rattled Osbourne awake, and he clambered out to see the flaming wreck. The singer has called the event the tragedy of his life and says that, in a way, he feels he's still standing on that field, staring at the burning crash site.

In 1984, a 19-year-old Ozzy Osbourne fan named John Daniel McCollum killed himself. His parents promptly sued Osbourne, saying his song "Suicide Solution" was one reason for their son's death. The parents described McCollum as a well-adjusted kid who showed no signs of depression, and who went from perfectly happy to dead in just six hours. Unfortunately, he spent some of those hours listening to Osbourne's 1980 solo debut, Blizzard of Ozz, which includes "Suicide Solution," and was discovered still wearing his headphones. The solemn Osbourne said in an interview that he felt extremely sad for the boy and his parents, but pointed out that although he understood the grief, the kid must have had struggles that extended beyond Ozzy's music. Osbourne also said blaming the artist was the wrong thing to do here — especially because "Suicide Solution" isn't about killing yourself. The song's "solution" is actually a liquid, and the lyrics are an educational (if not particularly self-aware) musing on the dangers of alcoholism.

The case was ultimately dismissed in 1988 on the grounds that McCollum's death was not a foreseeable result of the song. However, this wasn't the last time "Suicide Solution" would haunt Osbourne. Later that year, another family unsuccessfully sued him for their son's suicide, claiming that the song's subliminal messages had caused the tragedy.

Domestic violence is a terrible thing, and unfortunately, Ozzy Osbourne is not exactly blameless on this particular front. In 1989, the singer not only attacked his wife, Sharon, but actually tried to kill her. The A&E documentary "Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne" (via People) describes how the singer approached Sharon while he was under the influence of multiple substances, regretfully informed her that she had to die, and did his level best to strangle her. Fortunately, they weren't alone — the attempt was stopped, the cops were called, and the murder went undone. In a 2007 interview with the Evening Standard, Osbourne recounted his hazy version of the events that finally realized his longtime fear of blacking out and sobering up to discover that he has done something terrifying. He described the horror of waking up in a small cell with walls smeared with human feces, having no recollection of the previous night, and promptly facing his worst nightmare when an officer informed him he had attempted to murder his beloved wife.

A court-mandated separation and a rehab stint seems to have solved the situation. The couple ended up staying together, but it looks like neither has forgotten just how terrifyingly wrong things could have gone. In fact, Blabbermouth says when Sharon Osbourne was discussing relationship violence during a Reuters interview in 2004, she fully admitted that the situation was so serious that if she'd had a gun with her that night, she absolutely would have shot her husband in self-defense.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Ozzy Osbourne's capacity for various narcotic substances is nothing short of legendary. According to ABC News and Osbourne's 2009 autobiography "I Am Ozzy," the singer has at various points in his life abused cocaine, heroin, marijuana, Quaaludes, glue, cough syrup, Rohypnol, Klonopin, Vicodin, LSD, sleeping pills, and a whole bunch of other substances — often at the same time, and all in unhappy union with massive amounts of alcohol. So how has he survived all that? One possible reason may be his peculiar genetic makeup, which features a few minor mutations in the way he processes various mind-altering substances, and also some Neanderthal DNA to mix things up a little. Ironically, his genetic makeup also shows that the one substance that affects him particularly strongly is caffeine, of all things.

Of course, not even genetic mutants with a dash of caveman can keep up Ozzy Osbourne levels of intake forever. The singer has reportedly been in recovery since 2006, and he reportedly regrets his worst blackout years.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Rock concerts are usually jubilant affairs, full of screaming, celebrating fans who are there to have a good time. Sometimes, however, those fans can take it too far, and that good time can easily become far darker than intended. 

That was the case during Ozzy Osbourne's concert in Long Beach, California, in June 1986. As the Los Angeles Times reported, a concertgoer named John Loftus did not survive the show. According to Long Beach Police Lt. Bart Day, Loftus "fell over backwards because he was probably overdosing, hit his head, broke his neck and died."

Officials at the Long Beach Arena confirmed that the fan's death had been accidental. In addition, at least three people were seriously injured during that same show, while there were also several people arrested; however, officials didn't believe that the injuries or arrests were out of the ordinary for a heavy metal concert — particularly one headlined by the Prince of Darkness himself. 

On December 8, 2003, Ozzy Osbourne suffered a terrifying injury when he was riding a quad bike at his home estate when he unintentionally flipped the bike and it landed on him.

The ATV accident was quite brutal, and the heavy dosage of prescription drugs he was on at the time played a part in the incident. Osbourne broke his collarbone, damaged a vertebra in his neck, and fractured eight ribs, some of which were left pinching major blood vessels. According to People, Osbourne said the accident was so serious that he "died" twice, and the only reason he survived was because his bodyguard, Sam Ruston, immediately rushed to help him after the accident and managed to repeatedly revive him.

An emergency surgical team repaired him, but Osbourne still spent eight days in a coma and was left with metal rods holding parts of his skeleton together. He says he's extremely lucky not to be paralyzed and even luckier to be alive.

Ozzy Osbourne has been known to have issues with marital fidelity. According to People, Sharon Osbourne says she knows about six women he has cheated with, from teenage fans to masseuses and even their own household staff. During a 2022 appearance on "The Big Interview with Dan Rather," Sharon described an incident where Osbourne accidentally sent his wife an email that he meant for someone Sharon describes as "one of his women." Things got so bad that Sharon actually drugged her husband with extra sleeping pills in order to make him tell her the truth about his fidelity status because she knew that fear and shame would otherwise have prevented him from telling the truth.

This wasn't their last discussion about the subject, either. Six months after Osbourne swore that things were over with that particular lover, Sharon discovered both that this was a lie and that there were other women as well. This reveal forced the musician to finally admit he had a problem, and he has since sought treatment. Although the two seem to have reconciled, Sharon Osbourne  revealed in a 2018 interview with "The Talk" (via ET Online) that sex was a "bone of contention" with the couple even then because her then-69-year-old husband was still very much the "rabbit." Meanwhile, Sharon — 65 years old at the time — said she would prefer less frequent displays of marital affection at this point in her life.

Even without his own substance-use misadventures, Ozzy Osbourne has had more than his share of troubles and tragedy. After all, he is just one of the many famous Osbournes out there, and almost all of them have dealt with various issues that have caused the singer tons of grief. As the The Daily Mail describes, Sharon has experienced low self-esteem and weight issues that have led to bulimia. What's more, she was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002, and although her public and exhausting battle with the disease was ultimately victorious, the Prince of Darkness has admitted to Classic Rock that the process was terrifying and he was absolutely certain his wife was going to die.

The younger family members who featured in "The Osbournes" have also had their share of difficulties, possibly related to following in their father's footsteps when it comes to risky substance use. According to People, Kelly Osbourne first encountered drugs at the tender age of 13, and her intake was so excessive that her mother once committed her to a mental institution for three days in an attempt to scare her sober. Her brother Jack Osbourne also experienced addiction, to the point where he was treated for painkiller addiction when he was only 17. Fortunately, both of them managed to achieve sobriety.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Thanks to the runaway success of "The Osbournes," it's easy to forget that Ozzy Osbourne has children who did not routinely feature in the show. Still, they totally exist, and some of them have had their own share of difficulties. Osbourne's eldest son, Louis Osbourne, made the occasional appearance on the reality show, though he's not as well known as the main foursome of Jack, Kelly, Sharon, and the Prince of Darkness himself. Louis is actually from the singer's first marriage with Thelma Riley, and according to Birmingham Mail, something of a musician himself. However, the son is somewhat less successful than his global superstar father — in fact, the struggling Louis was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2013 when a property crash hit him and his wife hard.

Aimee Osbourne is a more elusive figure. In an interview with the Independent, the eldest daughter of Sharon and Ozzy says she didn't want the family to take part in the reality show but ended up outvoted four to one in the ensuing shouting matches. People describes how Aimee (19 when the show first went to air) moved out of the family's house to avoid being filmed, which broke her mother's heart. The introverted Aimee spent the following years as the rarely seen, "reclusive" Osbourne, battling depression and later dabbling in acting and music. These days, she gets on with her parents quite well, but her relationship with her TV-famous siblings is reportedly still rather strained.

Frail as he seems in old age, Ozzy Osbourne survived so many misadventures that it's easy to think of him as a Keith Richards-like figure who will roam the earth long after the rest of us are gone. Or rather, that used to be the case. In a January 2020 appearance on "Good Morning America" (via CNN), the Prince of Darkness told the world that he has the PRKN 2 form of Parkinson's disease, so he may eventually succumb to the inevitability of time after all. 

The reveal, which Osbourne described as "a weight being lifted," followed a long period of concert date cancellations and many rumors that the artist was basically on his deathbed. While this doesn't appear to be quite true, Osbourne did say that 2019 was pretty much the worst year of his life, thanks to a serious fall he took and a number of other health troubles, such as a bad infection.  

Regardless of this shocking reveal, the aging rocker feels that people shouldn't count him out yet. As his wife, Sharon Osbourne, put it: "It's not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, 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." Here's hoping for more good days.

Ozzy Osbourne's career as a touring artist ended on February 1, 2023, and his official statement on the subject made it clear that the singer took this pretty hard (via Osbourne's official X account, then known as Twitter). "This is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to share with my loyal fans," he started the lengthy message that announced the cancellation of his planned tour dates — and his retirement from touring in general.

Osbourne had a bad fall in 2019 during a bout of pneumonia, after which lingering health issues from his awful 2003 quad bike accident resurfaced. As the artist's announcement explains, he's since gone through an extensive arsenal of medical treatments to fix his spinal injuries, but it's become apparent that he's simply unable to tour in his frail condition.

Even in this time of crisis and disappointment, however, the ailing Prince of Darkness isn't willing to fully stop being a live artist even though he can't withstand the rigors of traveling like he used to. "My 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," the statement ended with the tiniest sliver of hope. 

The fall that Ozzy Osbourne took in 2019 was far worse than fans realized. The impact dislodged pins that were placed in his neck after his 2003 ATV accident, and he was forced to endure several surgeries on his spine that left him in a state of chronic pain. 

Looking back on that night, Osbourne told the Daily Mail (via NME) that he lost his balance while on his way to the bathroom and smashed down face first. "I saw this big white flash when I hit the floor and I thought, 'You've finally done it now.' I knew it was bad, I thought I was paralyzed ..."

The period after the accident proved to be sheer misery for him. "The pain is constant. The first six months I was in agony," he recalled, admitting he felt that he was at death's door because of the intensity of his suffering. When a nurse asked him to describe the level of pain he was experiencing, on a scale from one to 10, the number he gave her was 55. "Six months of waking up in the morning and being unable to move is a miserable existence," he said, recalling those grim and painful months of recovery.

As anyone who watched "The Osbournes" will remember, Ozzy Osbourne and his family have long made Los Angeles their home base. However, in recent years, he and wife Sharon have been yearning to return to their native Britain. While coming to America had been the dream of the working-class kid from Birmingham, he admitted that he'd become disenchanted as the country's societal ills escalated. "Everything's f***ing ridiculous there," he told The Observer in 2022. "I'm fed up with people getting killed every day. God knows how many people have been shot in school shootings ... It's f***ing crazy." He continued by stating that when he draws his final breath, he wants it to be in the land of his birth. "I don't want to die in America," he said. "I'm English. I want to be back. ... It's just time for me to come home."

That move, however, continued to be delayed. In 2023, they admitted they'd been yearning to return to England for years, but those plans grew complicated by the singer's ongoing health woes. The following year, during a July 2024 edition of "The Osbournes Podcast," Sharon revealed their objective was still in place but had remained in a holding pattern. "It just seems that every time we're set to go, something happens with Ozzy's health," she said, as reported by People. "We'll get there," she continued. "We wanna go back so bad, but we'll get there. Won't we, Ozzy?"

While Aimeee Osbourne, oldest child of Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon, was never part of the family's reality show, she's embarked on her own path. An actor and singer, she starred in MTV's 2003 adaption of "Wuthering Heights" and went on to front her own rock band, Aro. 

In 2022, her musical pursuits nearly took her life when a fire broke out in the Los Angeles recording studio in which she was working. The blaze spread rapidly throughout the two-story building. As the Associated Press reported, more than 70 firefighters came to the scene, fighting the fire for nearly an hour before finally putting it out. While Osbourne and her producer made it out alive, that wasn't the case for everyone in the building. "Sadly, one person was found dead inside, as firefighters searched the structure," Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott told AP.

The singer's mother shared her relief that Aimee and her producer escaped in an Instagram post. "They are the lucky two that made it out alive," Sharon Osbourne wrote. "It is utterly heartbreaking that someone lost their life today in this fire & we are sending our prayers to this person & their family."

As Ozzy Osbourne focused on regaining his health, wife Sharon — who is also his longtime manager — was working to get him back to the stage. Plans were in place for a comeback concert in 2023, with Osbourne set to headline California's Power Trip music festival alongside such other heavyweight rock acts as Metallica, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Tool, and Iron Maiden. 

That would have marked Osbourne's first concert appearance in five years, but it was not meant to be. A few months before he was scheduled to perform, he announced he was pulling out of the show for health reasons. "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," he tweeted. "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." While metal fans who'd purchased tickets were no doubt disappointed that Osbourne wouldn't perform, they couldn't have been too upset when veteran rock band Judas Priest was announced as his replacement. 

Numerous celebrities have become victims of online death hoaxes, and Ozzy Osbourne is no exception. During a December 2023 edition of "The Osbournes Podcast," Osbourne revealed that he'd come across a tribute video on YouTube — and was shocked to learn that he'd passed away. "I put it on and I died!" he declared. "The thing on YouTube, which goes, 'Celebrities Who Have Died Today,' and there's a picture of me." He laughed it off, paraphrasing a classic line taken from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." "I'm not dead. I'm not really dead ... just a little flesh wound," the rocker quipped.

Osbourne's son, Jack Osbourne, weighed in on tabloid media reports that his dad was at death's door, usually accompanying paparazzi photos of the frail-looking septuagenarian when he's out in public. "He's f***ing fine," he said. "These people are f***ing liars. Stop writing fake news." Ozzy ended the discussion of his death hoax on a defiant note, by reminding once again that he was still alive and kicking. "I'm not going any-f***ing-where and I'm going to go do some more gigs before I'm finished anyway," he added. 

Meanwhile, those fake videos continued to proliferate. One fake YouTube tribute, in fact, even listed Osbourne's date of death as November 18, 2024; as of February 2025, that particular death-hoax video been viewed more than 175,000 times.

Ozzy Osbourne's history of substance abuse has been well documented, but in September 2024 he revealed that his struggle with sobriety had taken a dent. That, he explained in a podcast interview, was the result of a doctor treating him with ketamine — the same drug that brought about the tragic death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry. "I went to a doctor recently 'cause somebody I know started to have this ketamine," Osbourne recounted during an episode of his "The Madhouse Chronicles" podcast. "He put a tiny bit in me, but that was enough to spark me. That feeling, that thing came back ... it waited in my brain," Osbourne added.

That admission generated concern that ketamine, even under a doctor's care, could lead to a relapse. "After all his medical woes — especially the neck and back surgeries — Ozzy has severe pain and discomfort," Dr. Gabe Mirkin — described as a longevity expert — told In Touch Weekly. "Marijuana and ketamine may temporarily help relieve some of his pain, but it's a slippery slope — especially for him. He's putting himself at terrible risk. This drug use may have grave consequences!"

Rock fans mourned when Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins unexpectedly died in March 2022. Also grieving the loss was Ozzy Osbourne, who'd worked with Hawkins before his untimely death — the drummer was one of the many musicians featured on Osbourne's 2022 album, "Patient Number 9." Produced by Andrew Watt, the album also includes contributions from various others, ranging from guitar legends Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton to Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.

"He was a really nice guy — we both [Osbourne and Watt] were like f***, we couldn't believe it," Osbourne said while discussing the album on his SiriusXM channel, Ozzy's Boneyard (via People), revealing that Hawkins heard the track he'd played on prior to his death. "He was a great f***ing drummer — a phenomenal drummer."

Osbourne shared more about Hawkins when he was interviewed for Kerrang! "To be perfectly honest with you, I'd never heard of him before he played on my album," Osbourne admitted, revealing that he quickly became a huge fan. "When I met him, and from what I saw of him, he was a really nice man, one whose soul will surely last. I should imagine that everyone in that band was f***ng devastated when the poor guy passed away," he added.

Viewers of "The Osbournes" would certainly have been familiar with the family's fondness for pets, particularly small dogs. In fact, Ozzy Osbourne and his family have long had a particular love for Pomeranians, and he was truly heartbroken in August 2024 when he made a sad announcement about a beloved pet. 

"Two days ago I lost my good friend Rocky who has been at my side for 15 years," he wrote in the caption of an Instagram post, in which he's seen posing with the fluffy little pup. "I'll see you on the other side my friend," Osbourne continued. "I love you always."

His wife, Sharon Osbourne, likewise paid tribute to Rocky via social media, sharing a compilation video of the adorable fluffball on Instagram. "We lost an OG and Ozzy's partner in crime," she wrote in the caption, adding, "Rest Easy Rocky."

The tragic 1982 death of guitarist Randy Rhoads in that horrific plane crash has continued to haunt Ozzy Osbourne over the decades that have passed since then. In a 2011 interview with The Guardian, Osbourne revealed that, at the time, he was taking medication to cope with the still-lingering sadness over Rhoads' death. "It took me a very long time to get over his death," Osbourne confessed. "I'm on a low dose of anti-depressants even now. Randy gave me a purpose, he gave me hope."

In a subsequent interview with Rolling Stone, Osbourne revealed that losing Rhoads had impacted him profoundly, particularly when it came to writing and recording music. "I was kind of emotionally wounded after Randy died," Osbourne recalled. "It took me until 'No More Tears' to get back on the right path with recording. He died really young, and he didn't deserve to die. It's really strange for me to sit here and reflect. Like, f***ing hell, 40 years — it seems like it was yesterday."

The disastrous fall that Ozzy Osbourne suffered in 2019 had long-spanning consequences for him, requiring surgery on his spine. The procedure was intended to fix his spinal issues and relieve the pain he was experiencing, but one of those operations wound up having the opposite effect.

"It's really knocked me about," he told Rolling Stone in 2023. "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." Meanwhile, surgery also revealed another entirely new medical malady. "They found a tumor in one of the vertebrae, so they had to dig all that out too," he explained. "It's pretty rough, man, and my balance is all f***ed up."

According to Osbourne, the saddest thing about everything he'd gone through was that it was keeping him from doing the one thing he loved the most: performing. "But it's been like saying farewell to the best relationship of my life," he said. "At the start of my illness, when I stopped touring, I was really pissed off with myself, the doctors, and the world," he added, insisting that, over time, that anger had evolved into an acceptance that he might never set foot on a stage again.

In February 2025, Sharon Osbourne shared some tragic news about Ozzy Osbourne's health battle. Days after she announced that her husband would be reuniting with Black Sabbath for what would be his final show ever, she also revealed the latest setback with his health: He was no longer able to walk. "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," she told The Sun. 

The rock icon confirmed that he was no longer walking but insisted he was trying to count his blessings. While speaking with Billy Morrison during the "OZZY Speaks" segment on his SiriusXM channel, Ozzy's Boneyard, Osbourne opened up about his deteriorating condition. "You know what, Billy, I go on about the way I can't walk and I can't do this, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays?" he said. "For all of my complaining, I'm still alive."