From Ozzy, 'One of the Hardest Things I've Ever Had to Share'

Osbourne says he's canceling upcoming shows, touring career is over due to longtime spinal injury
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 1, 2023 9:25 AM CST
Ozzy Is Getting Off the Crazy Train of Touring
Ozzy Osbourne is seen at the Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Ozzy Osbourne fans woke up Wednesday to a surprise post, one that he said was "probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to share." In his early morning statement, the 74-year-old British heavy-metal singer and ex-frontman for Black Sabbath announced he's canceling his upcoming concerts and backing out of touring for good, the result of an accident four years ago that injured his spine and which he hasn't fully recovered from, reports CNN.

"My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage," the Grammy Award-winning performer wrote. "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." Osbourne noted. He thanked fans for hanging tight with tickets, but "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 then lamented: "Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way." People notes that the 2019 incident that caused these problems was a fall during a nighttime walk to the bathroom, which only exacerbated neck and back damage he'd sustained in an ATV accident years earlier. That doesn't mean we've necessarily seen the last of Ozzy onstage. The singer notes in his statement that "my team 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." (More Ozzy Osbourne stories.)

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