Ozzy Osbourne cancels all shows, says his touring career is over
By Issy Ronald, CNN
Ozzy Osbourne announced the cancellation of his upcoming shows, and said his touring career is over because he “is not physically capable (of it).”
In a statement released on Wednesday, the 74-year-old said he had a major accident four years ago in which he damaged his spine and that he can no longer cope with the travel required for a tour.
“My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage,” he said. “My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.”
During his career — which began as a member of groundbreaking heavy metal band Black Sabbath — Osbourne won Grammy Awards for both his solo work and as part of the band, which he left in 1978.
Osbourne postponed his 2019 tour to recover from the initial spinal injury and said Wednesday, when he canceled the tour, that he was “honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time.”
His farewell European and UK tour was set to begin in Helsinki, Finland in May.
The heavy metal legend has suffered a series of health setbacks in recent years, revealing his Parkinson’s diagnosis in January 2020, contracting Covid-19 in April 2022 and undergoing surgery two months later.
Osbourne’s team, he added in the statement, is “currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country.”
He ended the statement by thanking his family, band, crew, longtime friends, Judas Priest and his fans “for their endless dedication, loyalty, and support, and for giving me the life that I never ever dreamed I would have.”
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