Last month it came to light that Ozzy Osbourne had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Ozzy first revealed the news during an interview with Good Morning America, with his wife and manager Sharon Osbourne confirming that Ozzy is suffering from Stage 2 Parkinson's, where stiffness and tremors worsen and sufferers may experience symptoms of the disease on both sides of the body.
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, the former Black Sabbath vocalist says he was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2003 and adds: “I’m not dying from Parkinson’s. I’ve been working with it most of my life.
“I’ve cheated death so many times. If tomorrow you read, ‘Ozzy Osbourne never woke up this morning,’ you wouldn’t go, ‘Oh, my God!’ You’d go, ‘Well, it finally caught up with him.’”
Ozzy was forced to shelve his 2019 touring plans after he suffered a serious fall at home which resulted in him injuring his back, neck and shoulders – dislodging the metal rods he had inserted following his 2003 ATV accident in the process.
His rescheduled live dates will take place later this year across North America and Europe, with Ozzy saying he’s now 75% back to normal.
He adds: “It’s been a pretty incredible, interesting career. People have written me off time and time again, but I kept coming back and I’m going to come back from this.
“When? I don’t know. I don’t want to go back out there until I’m ready.”
Ozzy will release his new studio album Ordinary Man on February 21 through Epic Records and will hold a "worldwide tattoo event" to celebrate the launch.
So far, he's shared the tracks Under The Graveyard, Straight To Hell and the title track, which features Elton John on vocals and piano.
A documentary about the vocalist's life titled Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy will premiere at Austin’s South By Southwest which runs from March 13-22. The film has been produced by A&E and directed by R. Greg Johnston, while Ozzy, Sharon and his son Jack Osbourne are among the executive producers on the project.
