Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has admitted he believed guitarist Tony Iommi was going to die when he was diagnosed with cancer.
The guitarist revealed his health battle in 2012 – but he’s gone on to receive successful treatment which, although lasting the rest of his life, appears to have got the disease under control.
Speaking on the band’s current North American tour, Ozzy tells the Toronto Sun: “I always think cancer means death.
“I didn’t know anybody who’d ever recovered. My wife recovered from colon cancer and that was the first person I ever knew.
“But he just accepts it and gets on with it. I mean, it’s got to be worrying – but he’s doing fine, I think. I haven’t had one of them dark phone calls so I presume he’s okay.”
The singer says he remains amazed at Iommi’s ability to fight against hardship. “Considering on his fret hand he’s got no fingertips,” he points out. “He plays with prosthetic fingers at the end. I’ve often said to him, ‘How the hell do you know when you’re touching the strings?’ It’s amazing.”
Ozzy remains open to the possibility of a successor to last year’s award-winning album 13 – and he’s writing material which could appear either on that or a solo record.
He says: “Everybody asks if there’s going to be a follow-up. All I can say is, ‘I never say never any more.’ If everybody agrees and we don’t take 500 years again, I’m up for it. I wouldn’t mind doing another Sabbath album.”
Meanwhile, UFO and Waysted bassist Pete Way has admitted he’s finding his prostate cancer treatment difficult going.
He tells fans: “I’m halfway through radiotherapy – I feel so low and tired. Your comments and messages have helped me so much and keep me going. Please keep posting them. I just want to play my new album Walking On The Edge for you, which has been delayed due to this. Love you.”
