Black Sabbath icon Ozzy Osbourne is to undergo surgery for an unspecified condition, it’s been confirmed.
The procedure has forced the cancellation of his Ozzfiesta festival, planned for Mexico on the weekend of May 27-31.
The singer, 66, will go under the knife ahead of Sabbath’s farewell show in Japan in November.
Ozzfiesta organisers say: “Ozzy is having surgery, scheduled for May, following his South American tour. He requires at least four weeks of recovery time. We are very disappointed that we need to cancel.”
The five-day event was to include performances by Ozzy’s solo band and Black Label Society, a dinner party with Sharon Osbourne, an acoustic performance by Zakk Wylde, charity golf tournament and comedy routines.
Sabbath are expected to complete a final album before embarking on a run of farewell shows towards the end of 2015 – which could feature original drummer Bill Ward. The singer plans to return to his solo career afterwards.