Ozzy Osbourne reveals Parkinson's diagnosis
Rock icon Ozzy Osbourne revealed that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
In an interview on “Good Morning American” with Robin Roberts on Tuesday, Osbourne was joined by his wife, Sharon Osbourne, and the two shared details about his struggles with the disease during the past year.
“It’s Parkin’s II, which is a form of Parkinson’s,” Sharon explained. “There’s so many different type of Parkinson’s. It’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body.”
Ozzy has suffered from tremors and was diagnosed with Parkin symptoms in the early 2000s.
But he said 2019 was “terribly challenging for us all.”
“I had to have surgery on my neck which screwed all my nerves in,” he said. “I’ve got numbness down this arm from the surgery. My legs feel going cold, I don’t know if that’s Parkinson’s or what … It’s a weird feeling.
“I’m no good with secrets. I cannot walk around with it anymore ’cause it’s like I’m running out of excuses, you know?” he continued.
He canceled his tour last year after a fall and has been largely at home getting better. He has been dealing with the aftermath of the fall, as well as the Parkin’s II diagnosis. Sharon said they are going to see a professor in Switzerland in April to get more medical attention.
.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Rock legend @OzzyOsbourne sits down with @RobinRoberts and breaks his silence about his private health battle with Parkinson's disease. https://t.co/tYd0K3rQet pic.twitter.com/ANaS82xakY
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 21, 2020
Ozzy’s children, Kelly and Jack, also spoke with “GMA” about their father’s health. Kelly said she has helped Ozzy get into the studio to work on music, something that still makes him happy.
Jack, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012, also talked about connecting and sharing — when he wants to — with his father.
.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: “The hardest thing is watching someone you love suffer.” Rock legend @OzzyOsbourne’s kids @JackOsbourne and @KellyOsbourne open up about their family’s new normal after their father’s Parkinson's diagnosis. https://t.co/tYd0K3rQet pic.twitter.com/8ayAFwOi9M
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 21, 2020
Ozzy said in the interview that he wants to see “my people … I miss them so much.”
After canceling dates in 2019, Ozzy is set to head out on his 2020 North American tour starting on May 27 in Atlanta, and running through July 31 in Las Vegas.
He plays S&T Bank Music Park in Burgettstown on June 11.
He also is set to release his first new album in 10 years, “Ordinary Man,” on Feb. 21.
Frank Carnevale is the TribLive multimedia editor. He started at the Trib in 2016 and has been part of several news organizations, including the Providence Journal and Orlando Sentinel. He can be reached at fcarnevale@triblive.com.
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