Ozzy Osbourne, 76, sparks meltdown as he drops huge Black Sabbath reunion news amid health woes
Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne has announced he will take the stage one final time with the original members of his iconic band Black Sabbath.
The news comes as the 76-year-old continues to struggle with his health, including worsening Parkinson’s.
Singer and frontman Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward will reunite for the first time in 20 years in July.
The classic metal band will also be joined by a huge “supergroup” of other legendary musicians.
They will play at Osbourne’s beloved Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, the city where Black Sabbath was formed in 1968.
Osbourne first left Black Sabbath in 1977 but has reunited several times with the group across their hugely successful and influential career – selling more than 75 million records worldwide.
Rage Against the Machine frontman Tom Morello, who is the music director of the concert, predicted it will be “the greatest heavy metal show ever.”
The event’s announcement post declares it will celebrate the “true creators of heavy metal” as Osbourne takes his “final bow” from performing.
He will put on a solo “short set” before joining his old bandmates for a last goodbye.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Osbourne said of the event.
“How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever,” the 76-year-old added.
Bands also joining Black Sabbath will include legendary groups like Metallica, Alice in Chains and Slayer.
Other iconic musicians set to appear will be Tom Morello, Slash (Guns ‘N’ Roses), Sammy Hagar, Bill Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), and others.
The announcement comes as Osbourne continues to battle health woes, with his worsening Parkinson’s and blood clots in his legs forcing him to quit touring.
Osbourne has gone under the knife seven times in the past five years, which he believes has only exacerbated his condition.
The 77-year-old almost had to miss his solo induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October but was able to appear, but not perform, after several blood thinning injections.
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“At the rehearsal, I was very close to breaking down and crying,” he told The Sun after it became clear he would not be able to take the stage.
His return to Birmingham later this year is a long-awaited homecoming for Osbourne, who had previously been unable to travel due to “my ill health and my disabilities”.
“I’m English but I’m becoming an American Brummie. I don’t want to end my days in America,” he admitted last year.