Prior to his passing, Ozzy Osbourne embarked on a arduous health journey, the likes of which tested even the stalwart spirit of the rock legend. Ozzy, who breathed his last at the age of 76 on July 22nd, had openly discussed his prolonged battle with numerous health ailments, Parkinson's disease among them, in the years preceding his death. During an appearance on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' in 2023, he revealed, "The past five years have been an unmitigated nightmare for me and my family. My family's unwavering support has been my pillar of strength; I couldn't have navigated this storm without them. It's been a grim spectacle, indeed."
During a shared interview, Jack Osbourne, his son, offered clarification, emphasizing that despite numerous fans ascribing his father's health complications solely to Parkinson's disease, several of his father's battles were in fact the lingering repercussions of a neck injury incurred from a fall in 2019—a tragic repetition, occurring nineteen years after his initial neck trauma sustained in a bicycle accident back in 2000. Recalling the harrowing incident, Ozzy recounted, "I rose to my feet with unwavering determination, blithely unaware of the fact that I had suffered a neck fracture. I persisted in my work amidst the relentless pain, only to witness everything slowly unraveling in the aftermath."
Despite his conditions necessitating a step back from the stage, the iconic Black Sabbath singer managed to perform one final time, less than three weeks before his demise, at a one-off concert on July 5th. Despite health concerns, Ozzy was determined not to let his ailments prevent him from reuniting with his bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. In an interview with The Guardian in May, he confessed, "It's been a grueling challenge—I've been confined to bed for an extended period. Lying on my back, doing nothing, my strength dwindled. It felt like starting from scratch all over again." He added, "I'll be there, giving it my all. All I can do is show up and do my best."
Earlier in February, his wife Sharon Osbourne shared that Ozzy harbored a heartfelt desire to perform one last time. That concert eventually served as his poignant farewell. "He's overjoyed at the prospect of being with the guys and all his friends once more. It's exhilarating for everyone involved," she told the BBC at the time. "Ozzy didn't get the chance to bid adieu to his friends or his fans properly; he felt like there was no closure. This concert is his full stop, his final curtain call."
