Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne officially announced his retirement from touring after an accident left him with a serious injury. The singer revealed he was canceling all of his European and U.K. tour dates due to health concerns. In the months that followed, he shared more updates on his declining health and his prognosis for the future. 

What Happened to Ozzy Osbourne? 

The Grammy winner took a bad fall at his home in Los Angeles in 2019 while trying to get into bed in the dark. The fall aggravated previous injuries he suffered during a 2003 ATV accident. He was hospitalized for injuring his spinal column and had surgery, which he is still feeling the effects of years later. On February 1, 2023, Ozzy shared a candid post on social media about canceling his tour and focusing on his recovery. 

“This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans,” he began. “As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine.” 

Ozzy Osbourne Accident: Injury Updates, Surgeries, Recovery 
Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

The rocker’s “one and only purpose” was to get back on stage. He revealed he underwent “three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions and most recently, groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment,” but his body is “still physically weak.”

Ozzy acknowledged that he knew his fans were eager to see him back on stage and promised his team would be issuing ticket refunds. 

“I am honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time, but in all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/U.K. tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required,” he continued. “Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really F–KS ME UP, more than you will ever know.”

Ozzy has since had a fourth operation related to the fall but faced some complications.

“It’s really knocked me about,” he said in a November 2023 interview with Rolling Stone UK. “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–king rod in my spine. They found a tumor 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–ked up.”

When Was Ozzy Osbourne Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease?

In the early 2000s, Ozzy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He reflected on the challenges he was facing during an interview with his wife, Sharon Osbourne, on Good Morning America in January 2020. 

“It’s PRKN 2,” Sharon revealed of her longtime husband’s diagnosis. “There’s so many different types of Parkinson’s. It’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body. And it’s like you have a good day, a good day and then a really bad day.”

The rocker admitted that his declining health led him to think long and hard about the future.

“At best I’ve got 10 years left and when you’re older, time picks up speed,” he said. “Me and Sharon had our 41st wedding anniversary recently, and that’s just unbelievable to me!”

Prior to canceling his tour in 2023, Ozzy got candid about getting older and dealing with a number of health issues. 

“I can remember when I was 69 and thinking, ‘I wonder when I’ll start to feel old, when I’ll start to feel everything’” the “Crazy Train” singer confessed during a December 2022 interview with Yahoo! Entertainment. “And suddenly, when I turned 70, the floodgates opened. It was one thing after the other. … This is the longest time I’ve been sick in my life.”