On Tuesday, July 22, Ozzy Osbourne, legendary rock star, Black Sabbath frontman and reality TV personality, died at 76.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” his family told PEOPLE in a statement. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Prior to his death, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had been vocal about his health challenges over the years, specifically his difficult and lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Here’s everything Ozzy Osbourne has said about his health journey.
He Injured His Neck and Back in a Nighttime Fall
In January 2019, Osbourne fell on his face in his Los Angeles home after getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. The fall aggravated damage to his neck and back from an ATV accident 16 years before. He later underwent surgery, during which two metal squares were screwed into his neck. The injury ultimately led to two more procedures.
“When they do surgery on your neck, they cut through all the nerves, and it f—- everything up,” he told Rolling Stone at the time. “So I’m wobbling all over the place. And since they cut through the nerves, my right arm feels permanently cold.”
“I cannot describe to you the helpless feeling that I had,” he added. “I had to use [a walker] to go for a pee. I had to have nurses, day and night. Just being in hospital is enough to drive you nuts. I thank God I didn’t paralyze myself when I had that accident.”
He Postponed Tour Dates Due to Respiratory Infection
Osbourne announced he was postponing the first four dates of his No More Tour 2 in February 2019, after being hospitalized with a severe upper-respiratory infection, which doctors feared would develop into pneumonia.
“I’m completely devastated for having to postpone the European leg of my tour,” Osbourne said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE at the time. “It just seems that since October everything I touch has turned to s—.”
“First the staph infection in my thumb and now coming down with the flu and bronchitis,” he continued, detailing his ailments. “I want to apologize to all of my fans who have been so loyal over the years, my band, my crew and to Judas Priest for letting you all down.”
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Ozzy Osbourne
He Was Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease
During a conversation with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America in January 2020, Osbourne revealed that, back in 2003, he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a nervous system disorder that affects movement. At the time, he said, “It’s not a death sentence.”
“Coming from a working-class background, I hate to let people down. I hate to not do my job,” he said. “And so when I see my wife goin’ to work, my kids goin’ to work, everybody’s doing — tryin’ to be helpful to me, that gets me down because I can’t contribute to my family, you know.”
Days after announcing the news, Osbourne hit the red carpet at the 2020 Grammy Awards and admitted that the past year had been a challenging one.
“This last year has been hell for me,” he said on CBS’s Grammy Red Carpet Live pre-show, walking with a cane. “I’ve had surgery on my neck. I’ve announced to the world that I’ve got Parkinson’s. It’s been one rock ‘n’ roll year for me.”
“I’m having physical therapy every day, five days a week,” he added. “I’m trying, doing the best I can. Neck surgery’s not easy.”
He Had Another Spinal Surgery That Left Him in More Pain
In an interview with The Observer in August 2022, Osbourne opened up further about neck pain he had experienced since undergoing spinal surgery that summer.
“With the pressing on the spinal column, I got nerve pain. I’d never f—ing heard of nerve pain!” he said. “It got so bad that at one point I thought: ‘Oh God, please don’t let me wake up tomorrow morning.’ Because it was f—ing agony.”
The musician added that his ailments are often exacerbated by his Parkinson’s disease, which had taken a toll on his mental health and left him depressed.
“I reached a plateau that was lower than I wanted it to be,” he said of his mental state. “Nothing really felt great. Nothing. So I went on these antidepressants, and they work OK.”
“You learn to live in the moment, because you don’t know [what’s going to happen],” Osbourne continued. “You don’t know when you’re gonna wake up and you ain’t gonna be able to get out of bed. But you just don’t think about it.”
He Was Determined to Survive, Despite Health Setbacks
Osbourne told PEOPLE in September 2022 that his health setbacks have “been a nightmare.”
“That’s the only thing that reminds me I’m getting older: things going wrong and not working anymore,” he said. “But I still feel young at heart.”
“I am determined to get back on stage even if I have to be nailed to a board and wheeled on,” he added. “Survival is my legacy.”
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Ozzy Osbourne
His Fourth Spinal Surgery Would be His Last
Osbourne underwent another spinal surgery in September 2023, stressing that it would be his fourth and final one. “I’m not seeing so many doctors anymore. I’m just seeing the Parkinson’s doctor but I’m not having surgery or anything. I had seven surgeries in five years,” he explained.
The rocker admitted that continuing to go under the knife for the structural damage after his 2019 fall was taking a toll on him.
“I’m not doing it anymore. I can’t.” he said. “My feet feel like I’ve got bricks tied to them when I’m walking. I walked upstairs today and downstairs for the first time in a while, and my feet feel like I’ve got diving boots on when I’m walking. I think it’s the nerves… Then I was thinking, maybe I just need to get up off my ass and walk around the block a few times.”
Osbourne also told critics to “f— off” when it comes to his recent health battles, assuring that “I’m far from being on my last leg.”
He Practiced Tai Chi to Regain His Balance
Osbourne revealed on an episode of The Osbournes Podcast in October 2023 that he started practicing Tai Chi to help ease his Parkinson’s Disease symptoms.
“I’m going to try and do [Tai Chi], it’s good for balance. It’s the balance that helps me,” he said. “I want to get back, you know, and all the options are open for me.”
The following week, his family said he already seemed to be making progress. “I’ve only had two lessons so I’m not really a master yet. But I’m finally relaxing,” Osbourne said, later adding, “I’ve been working out every day. I’m trying to get back on my feet.”
He Mourned His Good Health
During an episode of The Osbournes Podcast in July 2024, Osbourne said the emotional impact of his health issues was weighing on him. Asked by a listener about “the one thing you’ve lost, misplaced or given up you wish you could have again,” he answered, “My health.”
“When you lose your health, nothing else f—— matters,” he said.
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Ozzy Osbourne
He Lost His Ability to Walk
On his SiriusXM radio show in February 2025, Osbourne said his Parkinson’s was continuing to impact his mobility, sharing that he can no longer walk.
“I have made it to 2025,” he said. “I can’t walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I’m still alive.”
“I may be moaning that I can’t walk but I look down the road and there’s people that didn’t do half as much as me and didn’t make it,” he added.
He Promised His Fans One Last Show Despite His Parkinson’s
Osbourne was preparing for one last Black Sabbath show in his hometown of Birmingham, England, in May 2025. With many questioning his ability to perform due to his Parkinson’s, he vowed to give his all.
“I haven’t done any physical work for the last seven [or so] years,” he said on his show. “By hook or by crook, I’m gonna make it there. I’ve got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal. It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got.”
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