Ozzy Osbourne has confirmed what many fans suspected – he is living with Parkinson’s disease.
"I feel better now that I've owned up to the fact that I have a case of Parkinson’s,” the 71-year-old rock icon said on Tuesday’s episode of Good Morning America. “I just hope [my fans] hang on and they're there for me because I need them.”
According to Parkinson Canada, symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease include tremors, slowness and stiffness, impaired balance and rigidity of muscles. “You can live with Parkinson’s for years,” the organization’s website explains. “Parkinson’s can progress at a different rate for each person."
Osbourne’s wife Sharon explained he was diagnosed with PRKN 2. “It’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination,” she said.
Earlier this month, Osbourne's daughter Kelly took to social media to slam a Radar Online report that her famous father was “bedridden in agonizing pain and losing his marbles.”
Kelly wrote: “It's no secret that my dad has had a rough year when it comes to his health," she wrote, "but come the F**K on this is utter bulls**t.”
Osbourne said Tuesday he is receiving treatment and insisted he “ain’t done yet.”
Fans have been worried about the former Black Sabbath frontman ever since a series of medical issues forced him to cancel touring plans. Osbourne told GMA that 2019 was indeed the “worst, longest, most painful, miserable year of my life.”
Singer Linda Ronstadt has spoken publicly about her Parkinson's battle and how it forced her to stop singing. Two years ago this month, singer Neil Diamond announced he was stepping away from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson's. Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton also said he had to stop performing with the band due to the disease.
Osbourne, whose new album is Ordinary Man, is scheduled to perform June 16 in Montreal, June 18 in Hamilton, July 7 in Edmonton and July 9 in Vancouver.