Ozzy Osbourne: I was convinced I was dying during nightmare health year

1 August 2020

Ozzy Osbourne was "convinced" he was dying amid his year plagued with health setbacks.

Ozzy Osbourne

The 'Crazy Train' hitmaker suffered a nightmare year in 2019 which saw him endure several medical issues including a fall, neck surgery, an infection in his hand, and hospitalisation for the flu.

And at the start of 2020, he revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's - which is a brain disorder that leads to shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with walking, balance, and coordination - for which he later had stem cell treatment to try and ease the symptoms.

Discussing his year of ill health, Ozzy said: "I'm not back to 100 percent. I'm about 75 percent there, but it's such a slow recovery. Spine surgery is bad news, man. I've been in such a bad state with pain; I'm still having a lot of pain.

"There was a point I was convinced that I was dying. I was in that much discomfort and pain and misery. I thought they were all hiding it from me. I remember saying to Sharon, 'You've gotta level with me. Is it worse than you're making it out [to be]?' She says, 'No.' ... I've dropped all the medication for pain now."

And despite his health woes, the 71-year-old rocker is itching to get back on stage as soon as the coronavirus pandemic - which has forced all concerts to be cancelled - has passed.

He added in an interview for SiriusXM: "I cannot wait [to get on stage], but I was talking to Tony Iommi the other day, and he was saying with the way it's going with this coronavirus, indoor shows will be a thing of the past."

Meanwhile, Ozzy's daughter Kelly Osbourne said earlier this year her dad is beginning to feel much better, following a "treatment of stem cell".

She explained: "Seeing after one treatment of stem cell what has happened and the progress that he's made is mind blowing. He wants to get up. He wants to do things. He wants to be part of the world again. He's walking better. He's talking better. His symptoms are lessening. He is building the muscle strength back that he needs after his spine surgery."