Inside Ozzy Osbourne’s plans to ditch retirement and perform on tour in a wheelchair
OZZY Osbourne wants to come out of retirement just weeks after announcing it even if he has to perform in a chair – claiming “I am gonna f***ing get back on stage”, according to pals.
The rocker, who has Parkinson’s disease, announced his retirement from touring and cancelled his No More Tours 2 run last month saying he was “not physically capable”.
But pals say Ozzy is already “so upset and annoyed” at being unable to play live, he wants to get back out even if it means being in a chair.
The Brummie singer, 74, apparently has his sights set on a short run in Las Vegas or at a Los Angeles venue and is taking advice from his friend Guns’N’Roses singer Axl Rose, who performed on tour with a damaged foot on a throne, and inspiration from Phil Collins, who played Genesis’s last tour sat down on a chair last year.
The friend said: “Ozzy is refusing to give up on his hope of getting on stage despite his statement last month.
“He has declared: ‘I am gonna f***ing get back on stage’.
“He still has issues with his balance and cannot stand unaided for long periods of time on his legs.
“It frustrates him that doing a full 90 minute show, filled with his famous stage stomping and crowd interactive moves, is off the table.
“But he is considering doing gigs in a throne, like what Axl did in 2016 with Guns’N’Roses. He was really impressed by that move. And he feels Phil showed that audiences do resonate with you.
“Ozzy worries that he may not be able to sit still, which could be challenging. But there is talk of bringing in some special effects and even stage machinery to have the chair move around. He feels a lot of options are on the table, but Oz is not ruling out Vegas or LA runs.”
The source added: “That is Ozzy’s determination. However Sharon is concerned about her husband being put through a heavy duty work load around gigs.
“Firstly she has deep concerns about his balance and wants him to get back to walking properly, before even discussing comebacks.
“And she is particularly worried about him losing his balance and suffering injuries.
“Oz has spoken too about Sharon’s fears of his Parkinson’s condition prompting him to suffer falls like Michael J Fox.
“Sharon has been his biggest protector, but Ozzy is just so frustrated with being stuck in the house most of the time that he is looking at all options.”
The rock icon is also unhappy with being filmed fighting his medical woes on his new BBC reality show Home To Roost, according to his pal.
The source revealed that Ozzy has found returning to live full-time at his UK home challenging, especially with cameras following his life for the reality series.
“Ozzy had reservations about doing a reality show again after so many years. But some of the content has focused on his health battle, which has been hard enough for him to deal with alone, let alone in front of cameras,” the insider said.
“He has become very frustrated and agitated at times. He always says that he has ‘never been this banged up for so f***ing long in my life.’
“And he is doing his PT work and rehab, but the recovery process is taking longer than thought.”
Earlier this month Ozzy tried to step back from his retirement comments and defiantly hit back at worries about his health.
During an interview on SiriusXM, Ozzy said: “I’m f***ing not dying, I am still in constant pain. I do my best to stay away from pain medication, but there are times when I go, ‘You know, I’ve gotta take something.’
“Come on, guys. Haven’t I had it bad enough already?
“It is down to me. If I get okay today, if the doctor said to me today, ‘Oh, you can tour,’ it would take another six months to get it together, you know?”
The Black Sabbath legend was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years ago but he says his case is mild.
The 74-year-old said: “My Parkinson’s doctor said, ‘You know what? You must be the mildest case I’ve ever seen.’
“P2 is not Parkinson’s as per say, as Michael J. Fox has, it is not a progressive thing.
“I could stay like this for the rest of my life. And I don’t walk around going, “f***, I‘ve got Parkinson’s.” I never think about it. I just go, okay.
“When someone says you have Parkinson’s, you have heard of it but you go, what the f***k is Parkinson’s? I know the word.
“I said to the doctor, is it terminal? He said: ‘What you’ve got, no.'”