At 76, rock icon Ozzy Osbourne has made it clear he will take the stage at his final concert this July, even as serious health concerns raise questions about whether he’ll make it through the performance.
The Black Sabbath frontman has endured seven surgeries in five years, including a spinal procedure as recent as September 2023, and has battled Parkinson’s disease since 2003.
Speaking to The Guardian, the legendary rocker didn’t mince words about his determination: "I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up."
The event, titled Back to the Beginning, will be held at Villa Park in Birmingham and is expected to reunite the original Black Sabbath lineup for the first time in 20 years.
The star-studded metal showcase will feature acts like Metallica, Slayer, Alice In Chains, and Anthrax, and will benefit three charities.
Yet, not everyone is convinced the Prince of Darkness will make it to the stage.
Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, whose band is also on the bill, shared his reservations: "I’m cautious about saying, 'Yeah! All in, he’s gonna do it.' I don’t know what kind of modern miracles we’ll come up with to get him on stage to do the songs... I’m kinda preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best."
Ozzy, however, is taking the show seriously and preparing both mentally and physically. “I do weights, bike riding, I’ve got a guy living at my house who’s working with me,” he revealed.
“It’s tough – I’ve been laid up for such a long time. I’ve been lying on my back doing nothing and the first thing to go is your strength. It’s like starting all over again.”
His wife, Sharon Osbourne, added that the concert gives him “a reason to get up in the morning.”
He's also training vocally and working with a coach to be stage-ready.
Still, Ozzy noted that due to ongoing walking difficulties and blood clots that have led to blood pressure complications, he “may be sitting down” during the performance.
The toll on his health has been building for years. In 2020, Osbourne opened up about his physical suffering: “If I had a choice between the Parkinson’s and the f*ing neck, I’d go for the Parkinson’s,”** he told The Sun.
A fall in 2019 worsened a previous injury from a 2003 quad bike crash, prompting him to cancel his North American No More Tours 2 shows in favor of seeking treatment in Switzerland.
“First I had an infection in my hand — that pulled me off the road — then I got pneumonia, then I had the fall, then I had surgery and here I am today, it’s driving me nuts.”
Back to the Beginning was announced earlier this year by Sharon Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi at Villa Park, the band’s hometown ground.
The concert is scheduled for July 5, 2025, and will feature Ozzy, Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward performing together in their original lineup.
Since their peak in the 1970s with metal-defining tracks like Paranoid, War Pigs, and Iron Man, Black Sabbath has reunited in fragments—but this concert marks the first full original reunion since 2005.
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