Ozzy Osbourne is doing all he can to make his final Black Sabbath concerts a show to remember.
The 77-year-old, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, has been branded a “real life Iron Man” as he hits the gym with the hopes of being able to “get himself ready”.
“His body is not doing what he wants it to do all the time, but I talked to him a couple days ago, and he’s starting to get in the gym again a little bit by little to get himself ready for this last concert,” producer Andrew Watt said of Ozzy.
“He’s the real-life Iron Man, and nothing’s happened to his voice. His voice is, you know, as good as it’s ever been.”
© Getty Images for The Rock and RoAndrew was speaking on The Howard Stern Show and his comment came after Ozzy confirmed he would reunite with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward at Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham, UK, on July 5 for their first concert in over 20 years.
However Ozzy said that he would not be taking part in the entire set when Black Sabbath, but just “bits and pieces” as he revealed he is “trying to get back on my feet”.
© Getty Images for Live Nation UK“When you get up in the morning, you just jump out of bed. I have to balance myself, but I’m not dead. I’m still actively doing things,” he said, speaking on Ozzy’s Boneyard on SiriusXM.
Profits for the show will go to the organizations Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice. The choice of charities was deeply personal for Ozzy and his wife, Sharon Osbourne.
© Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TheMetallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Alice In Chains, Halestorm and recent Grammy Award-winners Gojira will all also perform on the day.
Sharon joined Tommy for the official announcement at Villa Park, where she proudly held up a football jersey with Ozzy’s name emblazoned on the back.
© Michael Ochs ArchivesOzzy and his wife Sharon have three children together – Aimee, Kelly, and Jack – and Sharon has remained his rock through five decades of marriage.
“He’s very happy to be coming back and very emotional about this,” she said of the show. “Parkinson’s is a progressive disease. It’s not something you can stabilize. It affects different parts of the body, and it’s affected his legs. But his voice is as good as it’s ever been.
