Ozzy Osbourne, 74, reveals recent back surgery went ‘drastically wrong’ leaving him ‘virtually crippled’ amid his battle with Parkinson’s Disease as he’s honoured by Rolling Stone UK

Ozzy Osbourne has opened up about his ongoing health battles as he was honoured with the icon award by Rolling Stone UK. 

The rocker, 74, who was forced to send wife Sharon to accept the prize on his behalf at the London ceremony on Thursday, told the publication that recent back surgery has left him ‘practically crippled’. 

Ozzy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2003, said doctors found a tumour in his spine during a  fourth operation on his back following a 2019 fall.

Telling magazine: ‘It really knocked me about. The second surgery went drastically wrong and virtually left me crippled’. 

‘I thought I’d be up and running after the second and third, but with the last one they put a f****** rod in my spine. They found a tumour in one of the vertebrae, so they had to dig all that out too. It’s pretty rough, man, and my balance is all f***** up.’ 

Ill health: Ozzy Osbourne, 74, has opened up about his ongoing health battles as he was honoured with the icon award by Rolling Stone UK

Unwell: The rocker told the publication that recent back surgery has left him ‘practically crippled’ (pictured earlier this month) 

The Prince of Darkness also said how he has ‘ten tears left’ to live as he recalled a disagreed with his wife over smoking cannabis. 

‘[Sharon]  said, “What are you doing that for! It’ll f****** kill you!” I said, “How long do you want me to f****** live for?!”‘.

Going on to say: ‘At best, I’ve got ten years left and when you’re older, time picks up speed. Me and Sharon had our 41st wedding anniversary recently, and that’s just unbelievable to me!’. 

Sharon, who shares three children with the star, described her husband’s numerous surgeries as ‘five years of heartache’.

‘I’ve just felt so helpless and so bad for Ozzy, to see him going through the pain. He’s gone through all these operations and the whole thing has felt like a nightmare’. 

She continued: ‘He hasn’t lost his sense of humour, but I look at my husband, and he’s here while everyone else is out on the road. This is the longest time he hasn’t ever worked for. Being at home for so long has been so foreign to him’.

Ozzy also explained his devestation of being unable to do one last gig for his fans, after being forced to cancel his tour earlier this year. 

‘That’s one of the things I’ve been the most fucking pissed off at: I never got the chance to say goodbye or thank you’.

Under the knife: TOzzy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2003, said doctors found a tumour in his spine during a fourth operation on his back following a 2019 fall

Big night: Wife Sharon proudly accepted The Icon honour trophy for ailing husband at the Rolling Stone UK Awards at London’s Camden Roundhouse on Thursday 

Candid: He said: ‘[The surgery] really knocked me about. The second surgery went drastically wrong and virtually left me crippled’

Biggest supporter: Ozzy’s wife, whom he tied the knot with back in 1982, has been by his side amid his health battle (the couple seen in January 2020 in Beverly Hills)

What an honour: Ozzy graced the cover of the music magazine and posed for stylish shoot 

Before adding: ‘That’s my goal to work to. To do those shows. I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, :Hi guys, thanks so much for my life”. 

‘That’s what I’m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man.’.

Last year he underwent ‘life-altering’ surgery to remove and realign a series of pins in his neck and back from a 2003 quad biking accident.

In September, Ozzy revealed on his family’s podcast The Osbournes Podcast that he had another surgery in the pipeline, which brings his total number of procedures following his 2019 fall up to four.

He said: ‘My lower back is, I’m going for an epidural soon because what’s happening, what they’ve discovered is the neck has been fixed, below the neck there’s two vertebrae where the bike hit me and disintegrated, there’s nothing left of ’em,’

Talent:Daniel Kaluuya was awarded with The Film Award for his directorial and screen-writing debut, The Kitchen

Pose: He joined Ozzy and posed for a very stylish shoot 

Style: Daniel oozed cool on the magazine cover 

His son Jack Osbourne asked: ‘Are they fusing discs?’

Ozzy explained that he ‘didn’t know’ what the medical professionals were going to be doing but said: ‘All I know is right now, I’m in a lot of pain, I’m in a lot of discomfort’

Ozzy recently said he is ‘battling through’ his health issues and recently had a filter removed from his artery.

Earlier this year the threat of blood clots hitting his major organs was reduced, with him admitting he’s desperate to ‘get on with his life.

Speaking on his Ozzy Speaks SiriusXM channel, he said: ‘I’m battling through, like, for instance last Monday, I went to have a filter removed.

When I had the blood clots in my legs, they put a filter in your artery to stop the blood clots going to your heart and your brain. It sounds worse than it is. So, on Monday I went to have it removed.

‘The blood clots have jammed you all up. It’s just disappointment after disappointment. Just get this thing f****** done so I can go get on with my life.

Ozzy admitted he is in ‘constant pain’, adding: ‘I feel like a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest. The only thing I’ve got that keeps me going is making records. But I can’t do that forever.

Big night: Maisie Peters won The Breakthrough Award, supported by Volvo, to mark an incredible year for the singer

What a year: The 23-year-old scoring a number one album with The Good Witch as well as a perfomance on Glastonbury Pyramid stage set and sell out gig at Wembley Arena

Sensational: Maisie looked gorgeous as she posed for numerous snaps  

Glam: The songstress showcased her toned pins in a chic PVC mini 

‘I gotta get out there. I’m still in constant pain. I do the best I can to stay away from the pain medication.’

The health update was his first since he cancelled his performance at the Power Trip Festival in California in October, which would have been his first gig in five years.

Announcing the ‘painful’ decision earlier this month, he said in a statement: ‘As painful as this is, I’ve had to make the decision to bow out of performing on Power Trip in October.

‘My original plan was to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, and when the offer to do this show came in, I optimistically moved forward.

‘Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I’m just not ready yet and I am much too proud to have the first show that I do in nearly five years be half-a****.

‘The band that will be replacing me on Power Trip will be announced shortly. They are personal friends of mine and I can promise that you will not be disappointed.

‘Above all, I want to thank my fans, my band, and my crew for their unconditional loyalty and continual support.

‘I love you all and I will see you soon. God Bless, Ozzy.’

What is Parkinson’s ?

Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative condition. The illness effects the nerve cells in the brain that control movement.

Over time the symptoms gradually get worse. It can cause symptoms related to movement as well as pain, depression and loss of smell. 

Most people who get Parkinson’s are over 60, but one in ten are under 50 and it affects more men than women. 

What causes the symptoms?

Nerve cells in the brain send messages to the rest of out body to control our movements. This is done using chemicals called neurotransmitters.

An area of the brain called the substantia nigra produces one of the neurotransmitters that controls movement: dopamine. But in 70 to 80 per cent of people with Parkinson’s these dopamine producing cells deteriorate and die. 

The loss of dopamine-producing neurons results in low levels of dopamine in the part of the brain that controls movement and balance.

Source: Parkinson’s Europe  

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