Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has revealed he is mostly confined to a wheelchair and “can’t walk very far without needing to rest”, but assured fans he is “OK”.
The 78-year-old musician confirmed he can still walk and said his latest health update does not mean he is “in retirement or ill or giving up”, and that he “will keep rocking until I’m dead”.
Ward is best known for co-founding the chart-topping group – widely hailed as a pioneer of the heavy metal genre – in the 1960s alongside the late Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Terence “Geezer” Butler.
The Birmingham-born drummer shared a lengthy post to his social media accounts on Thursday morning addressed to “friends, fans, families and people I’ve not met yet”.
He wrote: “I’m announcing today somewhat sadly but nonetheless truthfully, that I’ve reached a place where publicly more and more I need to use a wheelchair, mostly in airports, or public events.
“I can still walk, let there be no doubt, but I can’t walk very far without needing to rest, meaning I need to sit down.”
Ward explained that he started using a wheelchair to aid his mobility “mostly in airports” around 18 months ago.
He added: “I’m still a drummer. I can still play pretty good for 78-years-old.
“My talents and ambitions, and my unyielding need to be artful, and to play drums, is still as strong as it was so many years ago now.
“I’m just saying if you see me in a wheelchair, I’m just catching a ride, I’m not in retirement or ill or giving up, or any of those thoughts that ignite when we see people in wheelchairs.
“I’m making myself public and transparent about my new transport, and letting you know I’m OK.”
Ward paired the announcement with a recent photo of himself sitting in a wheelchair, and encouraged fans to continue to interact with him when he they spot him in public.
“If you see me in the airports or visiting friends in the music arenas or theaters say hi, I don’t bite, I’ll just look different, as pictured here,” he said.
He concluded the post and said: “Much love to you all and I’ll keep rocking until I’m dead.”
Ward – nicknamed the Godfather of heavy metal drumming – is famed for his role in Black Sabbath, who are widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal.
The group are known for sound-defining tracks including Paranoid and War Pigs, and achieved two UK number one albums and won four Grammy Awards in their career.
They were also inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006.
Ward and his fellow original Black Sabbath members reunited in 2025 for their Back To The Beginning farewell concert – marking their first live performance together in two decades.
It also took place weeks before frontman Osbourne, nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, died aged 76 after suffering from a string of health issues including Parkinson’s disease – which left him struggling to stand or walk unaided.
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