Inside the Osbournes’ decades-long health woes: As Ozzy undergoes ‘life-altering’ surgery on his back, a look at the OTHER illness and ailments the family has had to battle – from Sharon’s colon cancer to Jack’s MS diagnosis
- Ozzy is preparing to undergo major surgery, which will ‘determine the rest of his life,’ his wife, Sharon, 69, has revealed
- The singer, 73, has been plagued with a series of health issues over the years, starting with a near-fatal bike accident in 2003, which broke his neck vertebra
- Then, in early 2019, he took a spill and dislodged metal rods that had been placed in his back from the previous bike accident
- The fall resulted in him needed multiple surgeries, spending months in ‘agonizing pain,’ and wondering if he was going to survive the ordeal
- The rock star was then diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019. He also needed emergency surgery after developing a serious infection in his thumb
- His family has also faced numerous health woes – with his wife, Sharon, battling colon cancer in 2002 and his son, Jack, being diagnosed with MS in 2012
Ozzy Osbourne is preparing to undergo major surgery on his back, which will ‘determine the rest of his life,’ his wife, Sharon, has revealed.
The Black Sabbath vocalist’s wife-of-39-years said he would be going under the knife for the life altering procedure – seemingly as the result of a horrifying fall he suffered from in 2019.
‘[Ozzy] has a very major operation on Monday, and I have to be there. It’s really going to determine the rest of his life,’ Sharon, 69, stated on her TV show The Talk last week, adding that she would be flying from London to Los Angeles to be by his side as he recovers.
The singer, 73 – who starred in his own reality show in the early 2000s called The Osbournes, alongside his wife and two of his three kids – has been plagued with a series of health issues over the years, starting with a near-fatal bike accident in 2003, which left him fighting for his life with a broken neck vertebra, a broken collarbone, and six broken ribs.
Ozzy Osbourne is preparing to undergo major surgery on his back, which will ‘determine the rest of his life,’ his wife, Sharon, has revealed. The couple is pictured in 2020
The singer (pictured in 2010), 73 – has been plagued with a series of health issues over the years, starting with a near-fatal bike accident in 2003, which left him with a broken neck
It turns out, he’s not the only member of his family who has been faced with health woes over the years. He is pictured with his wife, Sharon, and three kids, Kelly, Jack, and Aimee, in 2010
As Ozzy prepares for the surgery, FEMAIL has taken a look at all the other physical ailments he, as well as his family, have had to deal with over the years. The family is seen in 1997
Then, in early 2019, he took a spill while going to the bathroom in the middle of the night and dislodged metal rods that had been placed in his back from the previous bike accident, resulting in him needed multiple surgeries, spending months in ‘agonizing pain,’ and wondering if he was going to survive the ordeal.
The rock star was then diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’s disease called Parkin 2 in 2019.
He also needed emergency surgery in 2018, after he developed a serious infection in his thumb that could have killed him if it went untreated, and had to be put on a ventilator in 2019 due to complications from the flu and bronchitis.
And it turns out, he’s not the only member of his family who has been faced with health woes over the years.
As Ozzy prepares for the surgery, FEMAIL has taken a look at all the other physical ailments he, as well as his family members, have had to deal with over the years – including his wife, Sharon’s terrifying cancer diagnosis, his son, Jack’s ongoing struggle with multiple sclerosis, and his daughter, Kelly’s battle with Lyme disease.
Ozzy Osbourne’s near-fatal bike accident, multiple surgeries, and Parkinson’s diagnosis
In 2003, Ozzy was seriously injured in a quad-bike accident, which resulted in him breaking his neck vertebra, collarbone, and six ribs during the incident. He is seen in 2003 with Sharon
Then, in 2018, the musician was faced with another health scare when he contracted a potentially deadly infection in his thumb
Back in 2003, Ozzy was seriously injured in a quad-bike accident which took place at his Buckinghamshire home. The rocker broke his neck vertebra, collarbone, and six ribs during the incident.
At the time, he was rushed into emergency surgery ‘to lift his collarbone, which was believed to be resting on a major artery and interrupting blood flow to his arm,’ the Guardian reported.
In 2018, the musician was faced with another health scare when he contracted a potentially deadly infection in his thumb.
Ozzy (pictured in 2018, four months before he got the infection) was told by doctors that he had three different staph infections in his thumb, and that one had spread to his middle finger
He told Rolling Stone that he became alarmed after his finger began to swell to ‘the size of a f**kin’ lightbulb.
He was then told by doctors that he had three different staph infections in his thumb, and that one had spread to his middle finger, however, he still didn’t think it was something serious.
‘I didn’t feel sick, so I was cracking jokes,’ he recalled. ‘The doctor said, “I don’t know if you realize, Mr. Osbourne, this is a very serious problem you have.” The thing was, nobody was laughing. They’re all extremely, deadly serious about it.’
According to MayoClinic, staph infections are caused by a common bacteria called staphylococcus which can ‘turn deadly if it invades deeper into your body, entering your bloodstream, joints, bones, lungs or heart.’
Ozzy underwent surgery where doctors ‘cut out’ the parts of his thumb that were infected. He told the outlet, ‘Even with the numbing stuff, it was agony.’
He spent about a week in the hospital, and ultimately made a full recovery. He added that the doctors told him he most likely picked up the infection from shaking someone’s hand during a meet and greet.
‘It could have been a lot worse. I could have been dead,’ he concluded.
Then, in February 2019, Ozzy was hospitalized once again after he developed ‘complications from the flu,’ according to Sharon.
She wrote on Instagram at the time, ‘His doctors feel this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery. Thanks to everyone for their concern and love.’
At the time, he canceled a few tour dates after ‘coughing so hard he burst a blood vessel in his eye,’ before he was brought to the emergency room and diagnosed with the flu and bronchitis.
Ozzy (seen in May 2018, just months before he developed staph) underwent surgery where doctors ‘cut out’ the parts of his thumb that were infected
In early 2019, Ozzy suffered from a ‘bad fall’ in his home which dislodged metal rods which were placed in his spine following his previous bike accident. He is seen on stage in late 2019
He was then moved to the Intensive Care Unit and was placed on a ventilator as his condition worsened. But in an update days later, his son, Jack, wrote that he was doing ‘much better.’
That same year, Ozzy suffered from a ‘bad fall’ in his home which dislodged metal rods which were placed in his spine following his previous bike accident, forcing him to undergo three more operations and resulting in him postponing his 2019 No More Tours II tour.
‘I went to the bathroom in the night, lost my balance and landed flat on my face,’ he previously recalled to DailyMail.com.
‘I saw this big white flash when I hit the floor and I thought, “You’ve finally done it now.”
In an October 2019 interview with Daily Mail, Ozzy said the ‘pain was still constant’ and that for the first six months of his recovery, he thought he was ‘dying.’ He is seen one month later, in November 2019
‘I knew it was bad, I thought I was paralyzed, so very calmly I said, “Sharon, I can’t move. I think I’ve done my neck. Phone an ambulance.”
While chatting with Jimmy Kimmel later that year, Sharon remembered him ‘bashing his head’ on the side of their bed.
‘Down he went,’ she told the talk show host. ‘He didn’t put his hands down and he went face down and his neck went back. And he had to have spinal surgery.
‘He’d had a motorbike accident a few years ago and he had metal rods in his body. And the fall pushed the rods through his bones. So he had to have three major operations.
‘No wonder they call him Iron Man, ’cause I tell you, he’s got bolts – he’s got so much metal in his body, it’s frightening.’
In the October 2019 interview with Daily Mail, Ozzy said the ‘pain was still constant’ and that for the first six months of his recovery, he thought he was ‘dying.’
‘The first six months I was in agony. I’d say, “Sharon – you’re not telling me the truth. I’m dying, aren’t I?”‘ he revealed.
‘I thought I’d got some terminal illness because the improvement was so slow. I’m getting better, but after the surgery the nurses asked me on a scale of one to 10 how much pain I was in, and I said, “55!”
‘Six months of waking up in the morning and being unable to move is a miserable existence.’
While speaking to Rolling Stone, he admitted he struggled with feeling ‘helpless’ during his recovery, adding that he was thankful he hadn’t become paralyzed in the fall because he might have ‘jumped off the roof.’
Ozzy then announced that he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease in early 2020, after being diagnosed with it in late 2019
Sharon told Good Morning America in January 2020 that Ozzy has P2, a ‘mild form’ of the disease, adding, ‘It’s not a death sentence but it affects certain nerves in your body’
‘I cannot describe to you the helpless feeling that I had,’ he told them. ‘I had to use [a walker] to go for a pee. I had to have nurses, day and night.
‘Just being in hospital is enough to drive you nuts. I thank God I didn’t paralyze myself when I had that accident.
‘I wouldn’t be here now. I would have jumped off the f**king roof – or fell off the roof, whatever.’
He also revealed that he had developed blood clots in his legs, adding, ‘From 40 [years old] to 70 was OK and suddenly you get to 70 and everything caved in on me.’
Sharon said that doctors initially thought he may never walk again after the incident, but added in 2020 that he was doing ‘really good.’
‘He’s doing really, really good. He’s had a terrible, terrible injury. At one point they thought he would never walk again, but he is,’ she said during an appearance on Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast. ‘He’s walking and he’s doing great… He’s been hit by so much medically.’
Ozzy then announced that he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease in early 2020, after being diagnosed with it in late 2019.
Ozzy – who previously struggled from drug addiction but is now clean – also revealed to the Sun in 2019 that he overdosed on drugs ’33 times’ over his life. He is pictured in 2007
And according to Sharon, it was the fall that ‘activated’ the illness. She explained, ‘What it had done was, it kind of started off the Parkinson’s that he had the gene for but was never activated… he just had the gene.
‘It’s like having the breast cancer gene but it never comes into fruition, it never gets alive. He had the Parkinson’s gene and this accident just sparked it off.’
Sharon told Good Morning America in January 2020 that Ozzy has P2, a ‘mild form’ of the disease – which is a ‘brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination,’ per Nia.Nih.gov.
‘It’s not a death sentence but it affects certain nerves in your body. You have a good day, a good day, then a really bad day,’ she explained at the time.
He added, ‘It affects regular things – like if you get a cold, it could be the Parkinson’s. Or, if I get a stiff leg, I think, “Is it the Parkinson’s?” What I have makes ordinary living a bit more complicated.’
In May, Sharon revealed that Ozzy had tested positive for COVID-19 and admitted she was ‘very worried’ for her husband.
‘I am very worried about Ozzy right now,’ she said on her show The Talk, as she broke down in tears.
‘We’ve gone two years without him catching COVID, and it’s just Ozzy’s luck he would get it now.’
Ozzy – who previously struggled from drug addiction but is now clean – also revealed to the Sun in 2019 that he overdosed on drugs ’33 times’ throughout his life.
‘I overdosed on drugs many times so I am lucky to be here anyway. I’ve had so many brushes with death that I’m the “Comeback Kid.” If I was a cat I’d have 33 lives,’ he said.
Despite all of his ailments, Ozzy has continued to make music and released a new album, called Ordinary Man, in February 2020. It’s also been reported that he’s currently working on his next LP.
Sharon Osbourne’s battle with colon cancer, hernia surgery and ‘mental breakdown’
Sharon has faced some health battles of her own over the years, revealing back in 2002 that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer. She is pictured in June 2002
Sharon (pictured with her family in 2002) had surgery to remove ‘a foot of large intestine.’ She then got chemotherapy after finding out the cancer had spread, and is now in remission
Sharon has faced some health battles of her own over the years, revealing back in 2002 that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer.
She reportedly had surgery to remove ‘a foot of large intestine and some surrounding lymph nodes,’ according to VeryWellHealth.com.
She then underwent chemotherapy after finding out the cancer had spread, and is now in remission.
‘It was hard for me to leave the house,’ Ozzy told People magazine of the time that Sharon was sick. ‘I just wanted to hold her.’
‘I’ve always had a plan that I’d get sick before she did, that I’d die before she did. But my plan didn’t work out.
‘She’s my soulmate. If anything did happen to her first, I wouldn’t get married again. Sharon and Ozzy, we’re a team. Life has a way of kicking you in the nuts.’
Sharon added at the time, ‘I have a million more things I’m going to do. And I’m not going anywhere.’
Then, in March 2015, Sharon underwent hernia surgery, and caught pneumonia while she was recovering.
She then took a five-week emergency absence from her show The Talk, explaining at the time that she was suffering from ‘from physical and mental fatigue.’
The TV personality later admitted that she had a ‘complete and utter breakdown’ after the surgery, since she was ‘taking on too much.’
Then, in March 2015, Sharon underwent hernia surgery, and caught pneumonia while she was recovering. She is seen one month after the surgery
Sharon (seen in May 2015) then took a five-week emergency absence from her show The Talk, explaining at the time that she was suffering from ‘from physical and mental fatigue’
‘I was negotiating a tour for my husband, which was a complete nightmare,’ she explained on her show.
‘I was doing [The Talk], I was doing sponsorship work and I was traveling around the world too much – just doing too much, thinking, “I’ll do that, I’ll do that.”
The TV personality later admitted that she had a ‘complete and utter breakdown’ after the surgery, since she was ‘taking on too much.’ She is pictured with Ozzy one year earlier
‘And then your body just goes, “No.” It can’t take it, it can’t do it … My brain just fused. I just couldn’t cope with anything.
‘I had a complete and utter breakdown. I woke up in Cedars-Sinai Hospital and for probably three days, I knew nothing.
‘I couldn’t think, I couldn’t talk, I could do nothing. My brain just shut down on me … It took me days before I could even speak.
‘I didn’t want to speak, I didn’t want to eat, I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I couldn’t keep thoughts in my head.
‘My head was like a whirlpool, going round and round and round, and not one thought would stay in it. I was just like, a thing.’
She also revealed to Entertainment Tonight that she was suffering from depression and was taking the ‘wrong medication,’ which contributed to her ‘breakdown.’
‘It took me probably a good six, seven months to find the right combination of medications [and] the right therapist,’ she added.
‘All these things helped get me to where I am. When problems come in now, where I would have folded, I’m like, “Bring it on. I can do it.” I’m in control. [My condition] doesn’t control me.’
Kelly Osbourne’s Lyme disease battle and gastric sleeve surgery
In 2018, Kelly, 37, revealed that she had previously been diagnosed with Lyme disease in her memoir, explaining that she had been bitten by a tick in 2004. She is pictured in 2004
In 2018, Kelly, 37, revealed that she had previously been diagnosed with Lyme disease in her memoir, There Is No F**king Secret, which caused her to undergo stem cell therapy treatment.
She explained that she had been bitten by a tick in 2004, but after removing the bug she forgot all about it.
She then said she spend more than a decade trying to figure out what was wrong with her, before she finally found out she had the disease – which can cause a rash, fever, headache, and fatigue.
‘The doctors kept changing my prescription, trying to get the dosage right, and it turned me into a zombie,’ she wrote in her book, of the time before she knew she had Lyme.
Kelly (seen in 2018) then said she spend more than a decade trying to figure out what was wrong with her, before she finally found out she had Lyme disease
‘You know in movies where a mental patient sits in a rocking chair in a cardigan and nightgown and stares at a wall all day? That was me.’
After doing some research on her symptoms online, Kelly decided to get tested for Lyme and it came back positive.
‘I was relieved to finally know what was going on, but I was also scared s**tless,’ she admitted.
She underwent treatment at a center in Germany, where she stayed for two weeks.
‘I was experiencing emotions and feelings again. I’d been in a diseased and doctor-approved drug-induced haze for so long that I didn’t know what it was like to be happy or sad or in pain,’ she added.
‘I’ve kept quiet about my Lyme disease, not only for fear of pharmaceutical companies coming after me because of the cure I found in Germany but also because it seems like the trendy disease to have right now, and I’m tired of seeing sad celebrities play the victim on the cover of weekly mags.
‘Since I know firsthand how awfully debilitating it is, I know who really has it and who is just trying to prolong their 15 minutes. I don’t understand how anyone could think that the life you have to live with Lyme disease is glamorous.’
The actress (pictured in May 2022) also had gastric sleeve surgery, which resulted in her losing 85 pounds. She called it ‘the best thing she has ever done’
Kelly – who lost 85 pounds in recent years – also revealed she had something called temporomandibular joint disorder, a range of conditions affecting the jaw bone and surrounding muscles and ligaments.
‘It can be caused by trauma, an improper bite, arthritis or wear and tear. Common symptoms include jaw tenderness, headaches, earaches and facial pain,’ Cleveland Clinic reported.
‘I had really bad TMJ. One of the things they did to stop it was they gave me injections in my jaw,’ she said on the Hollywood Raw with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn podcast in 2020, while discussing her weight loss journey.
‘It kinda made my jaw look skinnier. That’s when people started to notice that I had really lost weight because it changed the shape of everything.’
The actress also had gastric sleeve surgery in 2018, which she called it ‘the best thing she has ever done.’
‘I’m proud of it … I will never ever ever lie about it ever. It is the best thing I have ever done,’ she said on the podcast.
Kelly explained that on top of getting the surgery, she also changed her entire mentality, diet, and work out routine, which helped contribute to her weight loss.
‘The kind of surgery I had… if you don’t work out and you don’t eat right, you gain weight. All it does is move you in the right direction,’ she added.
‘So, anyone who’s thinking of doing something like this, really think about that. I had to do a year of stand-alone therapy to prepare myself for the surgery before I even had it.
‘What people don’t realize is, it cuts out this hormone that if you have addiction issues, it stops your craving and it makes you not emotionally eat, which is a huge problem for me.
‘All it is, is a push in the right direction. It doesn’t solve all your problems. It’s not a quick fix.
‘The number one thing I had to do was get happy. I had to fix my head before I could fix my body. You can never go into this if you’re not in a good mindset.’
Jack Osbourne’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis
Jack, now 36, was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2012, when he was 26 years old. He is seen in May 2012
However, Jack (pictured in February 2017) hasn’t let his diagnosis bring him down, explaining to the Today show in 2017 that it’s inspired him to live every day to his fullest
Jack, now 36, was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2012, when he was 26 years old.
‘Relapsing-remitting MS is defined by inflammatory attacks on myelin (the layers of insulating membranes surrounding nerve fibers in the central nervous system), as well as the nerve fibers themselves,’ National MS Society reported.
Symptoms include a wide range of problems like trouble with balance, bladder dysfunction, bowel issues, mobility problems, speech difficulties, and tremors.
However, Jack hasn’t let his diagnosis bring him down, explaining to the Today show in 2017 that it’s inspired him to live every day to his fullest.
‘I kind of look at the diagnosis as a huge silver lining to be honest with you,’ he said. ‘I hate wasting days.
‘I’m always doing something and trying to accomplish something, whether it’s work, something social or doing something active. So for that, I’m appreciative of it.
‘I feel more of an urgency. The doctors don’t know how specifically it’s going to affect me in the long term.
‘It took me a while to figure out my baseline, and I really came to the conclusion that I kind of have to seize every opportunity I can because I don’t know what next year’s going to look like, two years, three years.’
Jack, who is currently expecting his fourth child with fiancée Aree Gearheart (pictured), said he first realized something was wrong when he started seeing a black circle in his vision
Jack, who is currently expecting his fourth child with fiancée Aree Gearheart, explained that he first realized something was wrong when he started seeing a black circle in his vision. He also started to experience pain and numbness in his leg.
‘Next thing you know, I feel like I’m an episode of House, and they give me the news that I have MS,’ he continued. ‘I had no idea what MS is, so it was really quite freaky to be honest.’
He also explained in a 2014 interview, ‘I had heard of MS, I was aware that it could lead to disability and even death in some cases, but I had no idea what it was all about, so there was a lot of fear of the unknown.
‘I had a “why me?” pity party moment, but I snapped out of it pretty quickly because I had a newborn daughter.’
The media personality, who said in 2017 that he had not suffered from any severe physical symptoms in the five years since he was diagnosed, admitted that he previously suffered from mental health issues due to the condition, adding to the Today show, ‘Depression is the most common symptom among people with multiple sclerosis.
‘For me, depression is one of those things where I have had these little slumps, and I have to pull myself out of it.
‘I choose to combat it with contrary action. When I’m feeling like I don’t want to go out of bed and I don’t want to do anything and want to shut the world out, I just kind of force myself to go do something.’
As for why he decided to share his diagnosis with the world, he told Everyday Health, ‘I felt a weird obligation. I’m in the public eye, and I thought it would really benefit people.
‘MS is very common and a lot more common than people think. A lot of people who are younger are nervous to let people know about it because of the stigma that comes along with it. I know a few people who keep it on the DL.
‘The most common misconception is that people think you’re not so able-bodied when you have MS.
‘Either that, or they’ll assume you’re fine because you’re not in a wheelchair. I like to say that MS is as unique to the individual as their own fingerprint.
‘The biggest thing is: Don’t just lump everyone under the umbrella of “this is MS” because it really is so different for everyone.’
Aimee Osbourne’s emergency appendix surgery
In March 2020, Aimee, 38, had to go under the knife and have an emergency appendectomy to remove her appendix. She is pictured in May 2022
In March 2020, Aimee, 38, had to go under the knife and have an emergency appendectomy to remove her appendix.
At the time, Sharon shared the news during an appearance on the View, adding that her daughter was ‘recuperating,’ but that she couldn’t be with her due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Yesterday, Aimee was taken into hospital. She had an emergency operation to remove her appendix,’ she shared.
‘It’s just the worst time to be in a hospital. She’s fine, she’s fine now, thank God. She’s out of pain, and she’s recuperating.’
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