Ozzy Osbourne's First TV Interview Since Major Surgery Reveals He's Back On Track
Ozzy Osbourne has been taking it easy this summer. His wife, Sharon Osbourne, announced that Ozzy would be undergoing surgery in Los Angeles, and she would be taking a month off from her "Talk UK" role to be with him, per Los Angeles Times. "It's really going to determine the rest of his life," she explained at the time. Exactly what was wrong with him, Sharon wouldn't say.
Weeks before the surgery, though, Ozzy gave an interview to Classic Rock magazine, claiming he was eagerly awaiting surgery to remedy issues with his neck. "I can't walk properly these days. I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road," he explained. Years prior, in 2019, Ozzy suffered a dangerous fall that required more than a dozen pins to be placed in his back and neck, per Page Six.
In June, Page Six released photos of the Osbournes leaving a Los Angeles hospital with Ozzy in a wheelchair. The outlet suggested the surgery was an extensive operation to reassemble the mobility pins in the rock star's neck and back. Now, after a difficult recovery, Ozzy and Sharon are back in the limelight and talking about the scary procedure that may have saved his career.
Things are looking up for Ozzy Osbourne
After intensive surgery on his back and neck, Ozzy Osbourne is feeling better — but he still has a long way to go, as he revealed during a September 7 joint appearance on "Good Morning America" with his wife, Sharon Osbourne. "I have to negotiate everywhere I go, and I tire easily," he said of the difficult recovery, adding that his family has been a steadying force.
Osbourne's health has been tough ever since he was diagnosed with a variant of Parkinson's disease, which can cause long-term mobility issues. The progressive illness, coupled with a 2019 fall, required a lengthy operation, resulting in significant pain for the rock star. "These metal plates were working their way out, the debris was rubbing on his spinal cord," Sharon said of Osbourne's quality of life before the latest surgery. "He would literally be crying in pain some days." Now, as Osbourne revealed to "GMA," he can lift his head up and his health has "improved considerably."
Though he still has trouble with mobility, Ozzy has been keenly focused on his career post-surgery. In August, the former Black Sabbath frontman headlined the closing show for the Commonwealth Games, per The Guardian. He only performed one song, and extensive measures were taken to ensure he wouldn't trip or fall while on stage. It was an exhausting and quick appearance, but it hinted that better days are ahead. "I was thinking [performing would] never happen again," he told the outlet. "But that show's given me a bit of hope."