Ozzy Osbourne Gives Health Update, Says He Wants to Perform Again

Ozzy Osbourne is hoping to get back into music.

In a new episode of his SiriusXM show Ozzy Speaks, the 75-year-old singer shared an update on his health after previously retiring from touring and stating he has “at best” 10 years left to live.

Chatting with British rocker Billy Morrison, the infamous Black Sabbath frontman said that after the discovery of a tumor on his vertebrae, he is undergoing stem cell transfers to treat his ailment. He noted that he doesn’t know the real impact of the procedure, but he isn’t interested in quitting and finding out anytime soon. 

“I’ve just come back from the doctor after having some stem cells put in me,” Osbourne shared of his treatment plan. “The thing is, you have it, and you go, ‘I don’t feel that great,’ but I don’t know what it would be like if I didn’t have it.”

He added, “But apparently, this stuff that I’m on now is a real business show… I had one about three months ago and this was a follow-up, and I’ve got to go in about six months from now.”

Morrison — a guitarist and vocalist for Camp Freddy — attested to the power of the treatment, sharing that he used stem cells to help him recover after an injury that affected every facet of his life. 

“Look, do you remember me having hip problems?” Morrison asked Osbourne, who replied in the negative. “Right. You wouldn’t. Me getting in my car or getting out of bed, I couldn’t tie my own shoelaces, so I had injections direct to the site, five of them, and it’s gone. It fixed it.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, stem cell transplants are “procedures to replace cancerous, abnormal or damaged stem cells with healthy ones.” The treatment is most often used for patients fighting cancers of the blood, including lymphoma and leukemia. The procedure — also commonly referred to as a bone marrow transplant — can also be used for patients with certain tumors in the brain and spine. 

In a November tell-all with Rolling Stone UK, Osbourne revealed that he had undergone surgery for a back injury, which is when the tumor was first discovered. In the same breath, he shared that he was unsure how many more years he has in him and how he wants his life to end. 

“I don’t fear death, but I don’t want to have a long, painful and miserable existence,” he told the magazine, which honored him with its first-ever Icon Award. “I like the idea that if you have a terminal illness, you can go to a place in Switzerland and get it done quickly. I saw my father die of cancer.”

Additionally, the rocker is battling Parkinson’s Disease — the same condition Michael J. Fox has been fighting for nearly four decades — which Osbourne first opened up about back in 2020. 

On his podcast episode, Osbourne said that despite his health struggles over the last decade, he still has music and aspirations in him — including hopefully winning an Academy Award for writing a song, à la Elton John. Until that time, Osbourne would settle for just getting through a set standing. 

“I’d like to do a f**king gig without falling over now,” he joked as Morrison responded, “Well, that’s gonna come. You’ll get there.”

Osbourne also doubled down on something he said during an episode of his show back in February 2023, when he told his listeners that the media was misunderstanding his health issues and that he is still kicking, even if he has had to dial back some of his appearances and commitments. 

“The f**king press drive you nuts,” he said at the time. “I mean, I looked in the magazine, ‘Ozzy’s on his last legs.’ I’m f**king not dying… Come on, guys. Haven’t I had it bad enough already? If I get OK today, if the doctor said to me today, ‘Oh, you can tour, it would take another six months to get it together, you know?”

In the new episode with Morrison, Osbourne said that he isn’t quite ready to look back on his life yet and that he is instead looking forward.

“I want to still carry on, you know? I can’t redo what I’ve done, but I wasn’t ready to throw the towel in when I did,” Osbourne admitted.

“Right, but you have more music in you?” Morrison asked. 

“Oh yeah,” the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee replied. 

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