Ozzy Osbourne’s 2023 tour dates thrown into question over singer’s struggle to recover from recent surgery
The rock legend says he can’t walk much following the procedure, but the alternative was much worse
Ozzy Osbourne has revealed that six months on from major surgery, he is still struggling to walk.
The metal icon released his guitar-star-studded new album Patient Number 9 back in September but, despite making one-off appearances, including the LA Rams season opener, he has not yet toured in support of the record. Now he has told listeners of his show Ozzy’s Boneyard on Sirius XM that he is uncertain about his ability to perform on his 2023 tour dates.
“It is so fucking tough because, I mean, I want to be out there. I want to be doing it. This fucking surgery this guy did. Fucking hell, you have no idea,” says Osbourne.
“I can’t begin to tell you how fucking frustrating life has become. It is amazing how you go along in life and one stupid thing can screw everything up for a long time. I have never been ill this long in my life.”
Osbourne is referring to the ATV accident he had in 2003, which has led to multiple complications, including his latest surgery, on June 13 of this year. Nonetheless, despite his limited mobility and the struggles involved in his prolonged recovery from the most recent procedure, the singer says the alternative could be much worse.
“That surgeon told me if I didn’t have the surgery there would be a good chance I would be paralysed from the neck down,” says Osbourne.
Fortunately, the vocalist says his artistic faculties remain in tact. “The thing is my head is all right, my creativity is OK, my singing OK but I just can’t fucking walk much now…”
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Osbourne previously spoke about his desire to get back onstage and tour dates are currently scheduled to begin next year in Helsinki, Finland on May 3, 2023.
Head to Ozzy Osbourne’s site for more information.
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Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.