Without Black Sabbath, we’d have no heavy metal. Or, at least we wouldn’t have heavy metal in the form that we know of it today. Despite countless lineup changes, we all fondly remember the original Sabbath with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals.
The Prince of Darkness has been through a lot. But he’s still kickin’ and planning on continuing his tour in 2023. At the moment, he’s still taking it easy and sorting out his health issues. In an interview conducted by Classic Rock magazine in honor of its 300th edition, the legendary Black Sabbath vocalist discussed his health status, revealing what’s troubling him these days.
Asked about the infamous 2003 quad accident and whether there’s any lasting damage from it, Ozzy replied:
“Yes, there has. I’m just waiting on some more surgery on my 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.”
Reflecting on music’s power to help one deal with hardships in life, Ozzy said:
“Music is a good release from a lot of things in life. You listen to an old record and you remember where you were when you first heard it. It takes you back to that time in your life.”
When asked about his sobriety and whether he leads a sober life now, he said that he doesn’t know but hopes so that he does. He added:
“I take it one day at a time. If I drink, I’ll drink. But I don’t want to drink today. I don’t want to smoke tobacco today. I don’t want to take drugs today. So today’s going to be okay, I suppose. I don’t know about tomorrow.”
Asked about Black Sabbath’s final tour and the fondest moments from it, Ozzy expressed his regret that drummer Bill Ward wasn’t present there. As he explained, the fondest memory is the final show in Birmingham, England:
“That’s where we started, and we ended up in Birmingham. The one thing I’m sad about is that Bill Ward couldn’t make it.“
Photo: Egghead06 (Ozzy Farewell 2017)
