Ozzy Osbourne has Parkinson's disease.
The former Black Sabbath front man and heavy metal icon revealed the diagnosis in a recent Good Morning America interview, alongside his wife and longtime manager Sharon Osbourne.
"I got a numbness down this arm for the surgery, my legs keep going cold," Ozzy remarked. "I don't know if that's the Parkinson's or what, you know, but that's the problem."
After being hospitalized a year ago with the flu and then sent to intensive care with pneumonia, Ozzy nearly broke his neck in a nasty late-night fall at home that dislodged metal rods in his back (implanted after another serious accident in 2003). Ozzy needed surgery to correct the damage and has been rehabbing since last spring.
Sharon clarified that Ozzy's doctors say he's in Stage 2 of the disease. Tremors and stiffness worsen and symptoms may be found on both sides of the body.
She says they remain confident that Ozzy can maintain a good quality of life in spite of the disease and, yes, complete his 'No More Tours 2' farewell tour, which has been on hold for a year.
"There's so many different types of Parkinson's," she explained. "It's not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body. And it's like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day."
For Ozzy, not completing rehab and not getting back on tour is untenable.
"Coming from a working class background, I hate to let people down," he said. "I hate to not do my job. And so when I see my wife going to work, my kids going to work, everybody's trying to be helpful to me, that gets me down because I can't contribute to my family."
While he's still struggling, he concluded that he's "a lot better now that I was last February. I was in a shocking state."
Ozzy's eleventh studio album, Ordinary Man, is due out next month.
His tour is scheduled to resume in March. For tickets and more information, go here.
Photo: Getty Images