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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Joanna Whitehead

Ozzy Osbourne faces major surgery that will ‘determine the rest of his life’

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Ozzy Osbourne is to embark upon major surgery that is “really going to determine the rest of his life”, his wife Sharon Osbourne has revealed.

Speaking on Talk TV, the TV personality stated she would be travelling to Los Angeles to be with the Black Sabbath frontman who has been beset by health problems.

In 2020, the 73-year-old confirmed he had been diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’s after suffering health complications due to a life-threatening fall in his bathroom in 2019.

Appearing on Good Morning America with wife Sharon, he said: “It has been terribly challenging for us all. I had to have surgery on my neck which screwed all my nerves. I found out that I have a mild form of…”

Sharon then took up the sentence, saying: “It’s Parkin’s II, which is a form of Parkinson’s. There’s so many different types of Parkinson’s. It’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body.”

While Sharon did not provide further details on the forthcoming surgery, Ozzy told Classic Rock magazine in May that he was awaiting surgery on his neck.

“I can’t walk properly these days,” he said. “I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road.”

Injuries incurred during a quad bike accident in 2003 were exacerbated by a 2019 fall that left him with nerve damage and required 15 screws to be inserted into his spine.

Earlier this year, Ozzy opened up about the mental health struggles he had suffered as a result of his physical health ailments.

Speaking on Sirius XM's Ozzy Boneyard Channel, he said that painting had helped him manage his emotions.

“Doing my little doodles and drawings is something that I have found that has stopped me in my head from killing me. It gets your head out of your own head,” he said.

“Me left to my own devices is always a bad f***ing idea. I wake up in the mornings and get a weird feeling, like a cloud of doom over me.”

Ozzy also revealed he has emphysema, making him particularly vulnerable to Covid-19.

The news comes as Sharon and the rest of the Osbourne household are recovering from contracting Covid-19.

At the beginning of May, the TV host shared a bed-ridden picture of herself hooked up to a drip after catching the virus.

She revealed that Ozzy was “on the mend” after catching the disease, however.

The couple are believed to be making the move back to the UK after more than 20 years in Los Angeles, according to reports.

The pair, who have a property in Buckinghamshire, have been married for nearly 40 years.

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