OZZY OSBOURNE Diagnosed With Parkinson's Disease; "It's Not A Death Sentence By Any Stretch Of The Imagination," Says SHARON OSBOURNE (Video)
January 21, 2020, 4 years ago
In an exclusive interview with Robin Roberts for Good Morning America, Ozzy Osbourne, his children and his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, are shedding light on the private health battle he experienced after a fall and Parkinson's diagnosis last February.
"It's been terribly challenging for us all," Osbourne told Roberts. "I did my last show New Year's Eve at The Forum. Then I had a bad fall. I had to have surgery on my neck, which screwed all my nerves."
To complicate the matters further, Osbourne revealed he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that progresses slowly in most people, and has no cure.
"It's PRKN 2," said his wife, Sharon. "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."
While it was difficult for the rock star to address what he's gone through in the past year, his fans have also been a source of support.
"They're my air, you know," said Osbourne of his fans. "I feel better. I've owned up to the fact that I have - a case of Parkinson's. And I just hope they hang on and they're there for me because I need them."
Read more at Good Morning America. Watch the videos below:
A&E's new Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy - focusing on Ozzy Osbourne - will premiere at this spring’s South By Southwest festival.
The 86-minute film, which A&E produced as part of its Biography series, will tell the story of the former Black Sabbath singer from childhood to solo stardom to reality-TV megafame. Ozzy, his wife Sharon and son Jack Osbourne are among the executive producers of the picture, which former Osbournes producer R. Greg Johnston directed.
Check out the trailer below.
Ozzy Osbourne has set Friday, February 21 as the release date for his new Ordinary Man album. Marking his first new solo music in almost 10 years, the album has been preceded by the release of two singles, the title #1 rock track "Under The Graveyard", which was followed by "Straight To Hell" featuring Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. Pre-order the album here.
Ordinary Man will be available as a standard CD, deluxe CD, black vinyl, deluxe gatefold swirl color vinyl, picture disc and digital album. In addition, all physical copies of the album will include a unique code that will allow the purchaser to enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win one of over 300 Ozzy prizes (including an official Ozzy laminate to get into any show on the 2020 "No More Tours 2," meet and greets with Ozzy, a gift certificate to the Ozzy global store and much more!) All details on the sweepstakes can be found at ozzy.com.
"It was a lot of fun to do though it's a lot different from my other albums," Ozzy says of the album. "We recorded it quickly, which I haven't done since the first Black Sabbath album. This made it a different process, which I actually enjoyed."
Recorded in Los Angeles, the album features producer Andrew Watt on guitars, Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses) on bass and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on drums. Beyond the core band, Ordinary Man, features a who's-who of Ozzy friends and collaborators including Elton John, Post Malone, and Tom Morello.
"It all just came together," Ozzy explains of the guest stars. "Slash is a dear friend of mine, as is Elton. When I was writing 'Ordinary Man,' it reminded me of an old Elton song and I said to Sharon, 'I wonder if he would sing on it?' We asked and lo and behold, he agreed and sings and play piano on the song."
"Ordinary Man" is available for streaming below:
Videos for the singles, "Straight To Hell" and "Under The Graveyard", can be seen below: