Ozzy Osbourne: I Worried About Death More When I Was Younger
2019 was a very rough year for Ozzy Osbourne, who suffered through pneumonia, then later took a fall that dislodged metal rods in his body from his 2003 quad bike accident that left him in agony. In addition, the singer learned last year that he has Parkinson's Disease, which he recently disclosed to fans. Speaking with Kerrang!, Osbourne shared his thoughts on his own mortality, revealing it was more of a concern to him when he was younger.
“Do I ever think about when my time’s gonna come?” Osbourne asks. “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, but I don’t dwell on it. It’s gonna happen to us all."
He went on to add, “Am I happy now? No. I haven’t got my health. That thing knocked the shit out of me, man, but I’m still here. In fact, I worried about [death] more when I was younger than I do now. I just try to enjoy things as much as possible, even though that’s so fucking hard sometimes.”
Speaking on the red carpet at the Grammys this past weekend, Osbourne stated, "This last year has been hell for me," he said. "I’ve had surgery on my neck, I've announced to the world that I’ve got Parkinson’s — it’s been one rock ’n’ roll year for me."
The rocker has been keen to make up the dates he lost in 2020, but admitted during the chat that he would fulfill those shows "if I’m well enough." He added, "I’ve been working towards it having physical therapy everyday. I’m doing the best I can."
Osbourne has been well enough to record, working with Post Malone producer Andrew Watt, guitarist Duff McKagan and drummer Chad Smith on a new record called Ordinary Man. Ozzy has credited the album making process for speeding along his recovery.
“If you saw me at the beginning of last year you’d think I was fucked,” he told Kerrang. “But I honestly think making this album is the best medicine I could have had. I was doing something, something I like to do. I wish I could do more, but it just felt great.”
Ordinary Man will arrive in February and at present, Osbourne is currently scheduled to return to touring in May. See all his scheduled dates here.
2020 Grammy Red Carpet Photos