Ozzy Osbourne says he can no longer walk ahead of final show

Osbourne previously announced a reunion with Black Sabbath would be part of his farewell performance.

By Mary Kate Carr | February 7, 2025 | 9:22am

Screenshot: Apple Music/YouTube

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Ozzy Osbourne says he can no longer walk ahead of final show

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Earlier this week, it was announced that the original lineup of Black Sabbath would reunite for the first time in 20 years for a final performance at the all-star heavy metal benefit concert “Back To The Beginning,” billed as the band’s last-ever show. Often when artists play a “farewell show,” it’s only a matter of time before they announce some sort of comeback. But for Ozzy Osbourne, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019, his health will likely prevent him taking the stage ever again, as evidenced by the update he shared on his SiriusXM program Ozzy’s Boneyard (via Billboard).

“I have made it to 2025. I can’t walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I’m still alive,” he shared with fans. “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.”

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In 2023, Osbourne had canceled shows due to his condition. “In all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required,” he posted to social media at the time. “Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really FUCKS ME UP, more than you will ever know.” Speaking with Rolling Stone UK that year, he said that “when I stopped touring, I was really pissed off with myself, the doctors, and the world. But as time has gone on, I’ve just gone, ‘Well, maybe I’ve just got to accept that fact.'” But he said at the time he was hopeful to do one last show before retiring for good: “If I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man.”

That final show will be “Back To The Beginning,” an all-day affair directed by Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello featuring performances from Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, Alice In Chains, and more. Benefits from the concert will go towards benefit Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and the Birmingham-based Acorns Children’s Hospice. The rocker’s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne told the BBC that her husband is “so excited” for the show, which will take place July 5 in Birmingham. “Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s no been no full stop,” Sharon explained. “This is his full stop.”