More than a week after revealing he’s been battling Parkinson’s disease, Ozzy Osbourne, the “Prince of Darkness,” said he doesn’t think he’ll be around for “that much longer.”
When asked about his own mortality on Wednesday, the 71-year-old rock icon was extremely candid with Kerrang about his thoughts on death.
“Do I ever think about when my time’s gonna come?” Osbourne said. “I think about it; I don’t worry about it. I won’t be here in another 15 years or whatever… not that much longer.”
“I don’t dwell on it. It’s gonna happen to us all.”
It was on Jan. 21, in an interview on Good Morning America, that Osbourne, for the first time, publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with PRKN 2 — a rare form of the long-term neurodegenerative disorder.
Though he’d managed to keep his diagnosis quiet, Osbourne was diagnosed with the illness last February, shortly after undergoing an operation to help treat a “severe neck injury” he suffered after an unlucky tumble down some stairs.
Osbourne told Kerrang that his ongoing health woes have made a major impact on his happiness.
“Am I happy now? No. I haven’t got my health.”
Additionally, Osbourne revealed that he struggled a lot throughout 2019 due to his health issues.
“If you saw me at the beginning of last year you’d think I was f–ked,” added Osbourne. “That thing knocked the s–t out of me,” he admitted, perhaps referring to PRKN 2.
After several cancellations, Osbourne is set to resume his No More Tours 2 world tour this summer, where he will promote his forthcoming 10th solo album, Ordinary Man.
Whether he still plans to finish the tour is currently unclear.
Within the last few years, many fans have expressed concern about Osbourne’s health status — not just as a result of his recent diagnosis and neck injury, but because of his age and history of substance abuse, too.
When asked about the upcoming tour during CBS’ live coverage of the Grammys’ red carpet, Osbourne said, “If I’m well enough, I’ll work towards it,” according to Ultimate Classic Rock.
“I’m having physical therapy every day, five days a week,” he said. “I’m trying, doing the best I can. Neck surgery’s not easy.”
Osborne told Kerrang that making Ordinary Man was “the best medicine” he could have had.
“I was doing something I like to do. I wish I could do more,” he said. “It felt great.”
If all goes to plan, the former Black Sabbath frontman will return to Canada with four concerts scheduled across June and July alongside Marilyn Manson.
Additional tour dates and updates can be found on the official Ozzy Osbourne website.
Ordinary Man will be released worldwide on Feb. 21.
Canadian No More Tours 2 2020 tour dates:
June 16 — Montreal, Que. @ Bell Centre
June 18 — Hamilton, Ont. @ FirstOntario Centre
July 7 — Edmonton, Alta. @ Rogers Place
July 9 — Vancouver, B.C. @ Rogers Arena