On Tuesday, Ozzy Osbourne, his wife Sharon Osbourne and children Jack Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne, came together for an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America to talk about the musician’s ongoing health battle.
“It’s been terribly challenging for all of us,” the 71-year-old icon said while explaining what has transpired over the last year, during which he was diagnosed with pneumonia and suffered a fall in his LA home. “I did my last show [on] New Year’s Eve at The Forum. Then I had a bad fall. I had to have surgery on my neck, which screwed all my nerves,” he continued.
He went on to reveal that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, a nervous system disorder that affects movement, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“It’s PRKN2,” Sharon explained, and add that it is “not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination.”
“It’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day,” she added.
The musician admitted that it was time to tell his fans what he has been dealing with. “I’m no good with secrets,” he said. “I cannot walk around with it anymore ’cause it’s like I’m running out of excuses, you know?”
Ozzy alsosaid that he is now taking Parkinson’s medication and nerve pills.
“Coming from a working-class background, I hate to let people down. I hate to not do my job,” Ozzy added. “And so when I see my wife goin’ to work, my kids goin’ to work, everybody’s doing — tryin’ to be helpful to me, that gets me down because I can’t contribute to my family, you know.”
Even though Ozzy feels like he’s not contributing, his family has been nothing but supportive and even helped him get back into the studio.
“We have all played a role,” Kelly said. “But the only thing I know is what can I do to make him smile? I know going to the studio makes him happy. That’s what I did. Everything else was him.”
Jack, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012, would “try to slip in information” to his father as he could relate to the situation. “I understand when you have something you don’t want to have,” he shared with Good Morning America.
Sharon spoke about how her husband would visit “a professional in Switzerland” in April who specializes in “getting your immune system at its peak” next. She added, “We’ve kind of reached a point here in this country where we can’t go any further because we’ve got all the answers we can get here.”
Still, Ozzy is eager to get back to the music scene and return to his fans.
“They’re my air, you know,” he said. “I feel better. I’ve owned up to the fact that I have — a case of Parkinson’s. And I just hope they hang on and they’re there for me because I need them.”
Despite his struggles, Sharon isn’t too worried about his future.
“He’s gonna get back out there,” she asserted. “And he’s gonna do what he loves to do; I know it.”