IT is not the first time that the Prince of Darkness has retired from performing live. Ozzy Osbourne first called it quits post-No More Tears album with the aptly named No More Tours trek in 1991.
Since then there has been numerous other tours and live shows, not least with legendary heavy metal pioneers – Black Sabbath. Along with the Sabs, Ozzy recorded one final album – The End – embarking on a worldwide tour ending on Feb 4, 2017.
But it would seem with age and more pertinently, health issues slowing the lead singer down, the time has come to draw a close to a storied and genre defining career.
His spouse and manager, Sharon Osbourne, confirming that Parkinson’s Disease is taking a toll on the frontman’s health, making live commitments increasingly difficult.
As such, the 76-year-old singer will be calling time as a live performer with one final gig in Birmingham, UK on July 5. He will perform solo material as well as headlining the show alongside the original line-up of Black Sabbath – Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums).
Ozzy previously postponed European dates due to illness. In 2020 announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. In 2022 he had extensive spinal surgery after a 2019 fall, which had exacerbated an earlier quad-biking injury. A hoped-for 2023 tour was cancelled as he continued to recuperate, with Ozzy saying: “Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way.”
Musical director for the July 5 show, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) has proclaimed: “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.” With a line-up featuring Metallica, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Slayer, Anthrax, Mastodon and many others, it does not look like Morello is exaggerating.
