Ozzy Osbourne and Family Open Up About His Battle With Parkinson’s Disease

Morten Skovgaard, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Ozzy Osbourne has had a tough couple years riddled with health issues including an infected thumb, a bad fall and multiple surgeries. Now, in a new, exclusive interview with Good Morning America, Ozzy and his wife and manager, Sharon, as well as their children Jack and Kelly, have opened up about the singer’s battle with another health issue: Parkinson’s disease. Ozzy was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder — which currently has no cure — last February.

“It’s PRKN 2,” Sharon explains in the interview, which you can watch below. “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 — it’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day.”

Ozzy says he felt like he owed it to his fans to reveal his diagnosis and discuss his struggle. “I’m no good with secrets,” he says. “I cannot walk around with it anymore ’cause it’s like I’m running out of excuses, you know?”

He adds of his fans: “They’re my air, you know.” He continues, “I feel better. I’ve owned up to the fact that I have — a case of Parkinson’s. And I just hope they hang on and they’re there for me because I need them.”

Ozzy fans will have a chance to show their support when the heavy-metal godfather returns to the road later this year to complete the “No More Tours 2” dates he had to postpone due to his health issues. Those are set to kick off in May in North America, with Marilyn Manson playing in support — see the itinerary below. Ozzy is also set to release his highly anticipated new solo album, Ordinary Man, in February.

Ozzy Osbourne North American tour dates with Marilyn Manson:
05/27 Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
05/29 Sunrise, FL – BB&T Center
05/31 Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union
06/02 Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
06/04 Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
06/06 Hershey, PA – Hershey Park Stadium
06/11 Pittsburgh, PA – KeyBank Pavilion
06/13 Bangor, ME – Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
06/16 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
06/18 Hamilton, ON – First Ontario Centre
06/20 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
06/22 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden Arena
06/24 St Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
06/26 Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
06/28 Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
07/01 Milwaukee, WI – Amer. Family Ins. Amp
07/03 St Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
07/07 Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
07/09 Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
07/11 Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
07/15 Portland, OR – Moda Center
07/17 Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
07/23 Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
07/25 San Francisco, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/29 San Diego, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
07/27 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
07/31 Las Vegas, CA – MGM Grand Garden Arena