Ozzy Osbourne to retire from touring due to declining health | Culture
Ozzy Osbourne has announced that he is retiring from touring due to declining health. The 74-year-old Black Sabbath singer was due to embark on a UK and European tour later this year, but in a statement he said he “realized that I am not physically able…as I know, I couldn’t cope with the necessary travel.
“It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans,” he continued. “As you all may know, four years ago this month I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine. My one and only goal during that time was to get back on my feet. My singing voice is fine, however after three surgeries, stem cell treatments, endless physiotherapy sessions and most recently a breakthrough Cybernics (HAL) treatment, my body is still physically weak.
“Trust me when I say the idea of disappointing my fans really FUCK ME, more than you will ever know,” he wrote. “I never imagined that my touring days would end like this.”
In the statement, Osbourne said he was looking for “ideas that I can play on without having to travel from city to city and country to country”, and thanked his fans for “their unwavering dedication, loyalty and support. end, and for giving me the life I never dreamed of”.
Osbourne’s tour, dubbed No More Tours II, was announced in 2017 but repeatedly postponed, due to both health and Covid concerns. Last May, he revealed he was expecting neck surgery; his wife, Sharon Osbourne, said the operation would “determine the rest of his life”. In September 2022, he released his 13th solo album, Patient Number 9, which was hailed in a four-star review by the Guardian’s chief pop critic, Alexis Petridis, as “finely balanced, the choruses big and bold enough to attract attention but not eclipse the main”. the essential essence of attraction”.
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Patient Number 9 is nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards; its title track, featuring Jeff Beck, was nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance; and the Tony Iommi collab Degradation Rules is up for best metal performance. “All of this shocked me,” Osbourne told Billboard upon learning of the nominations. “I mean, if I won anything for the album, I would be floored.”