What public statements did ozzy make about his health and how he wanted to die?
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Executive summary
Ozzy Osbourne publicly described years of worsening mobility and serious medical setbacks — saying in 2025 “I can’t walk” and that, despite surgeries and Parkinson’s, he was “still alive” [1] [2]. He framed his final Black Sabbath performance as a last act he would attempt “if my God wants me to do the show,” while acknowledging he could not perform a full set and was taking things “one day at a time” [3] [4].
1. The blunt health updates: “I can’t walk” and living with Parkinson’s
Ozzy repeatedly spoke plainly about Parkinson’s and its toll: on SiriusXM and in interviews he said the disease had progressed to the point that he “can’t walk,” and he framed that reality against gratitude that he “have made it to 2025” [1] [2]. Multiple outlets report he was diagnosed after a 2019 fall and that Parkinson’s and spinal injuries were central to his declining mobility [5] [6].
2. On stages and finales: determined to try, knowing limits
Ahead of Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning” show, Ozzy made clear he intended to appear but not to deliver a full, normal concert — saying they’d play only “a couple of songs each” and that he was preparing “one day at a time” and giving “120%,” adding a religious caveat: “If my God wants me to do the show, I’ll do it” [4] [3]. He told co-hosts he was undergoing intensive rehab and training to manage the performance despite his physical decline [3].
3. Tone and approach: irritation, humor and resignation mixed with gratitude
Ozzy’s public remarks mixed blunt complaints about his body with defiant humor and gratitude. On SiriusXM he said he complained about his inability to walk but recognized “for all my complaining, I’m still alive” [7] [1]. In interviews he joked about having “more f---ing metal in me than a scrap merchants” while recounting surgeries, signaling a candid, self-deprecating approach to chronic illness [8].
4. Prognosis, predictions and public-facing mortality talk
He sometimes spoke about life expectancy in candid terms: a 2023 Rolling Stone quote reported he thought he “probably got 10 years left to live,” illustrating he contemplated his mortality publicly [9]. Other remarks framed the final concert as a meaningful “full stop” arranged by family and collaborators — Sharon Osbourne described the event as a capstone Ozzy wanted [10] [11].
5. Family, media projects and narrative control
Ozzy and his family worked to shape the public story: a Paramount+ documentary (“No Escape from Now”) was announced to show “how hard things have been,” and family members provided updates that sometimes emphasized positivity ahead of the final show [2] [11]. Available sources do not mention private end‑of‑life directives or explicit statements from Ozzy about preferring a particular way to die.
6. Competing portrayals in reporting: resilience vs. vulnerability
Reporting frames Ozzy either as a resilient rocker fighting to perform or as someone profoundly limited by illness. Outlets emphasize his determination to appear onstage and his sobriety and rehab work [3] [8], while others stress progressive decline and the reality that he “can’t walk” and needed surgical interventions stemming from a 2019 fall [1] [5]. Both portrayals rest on the same quoted remarks; differences reflect editorial emphasis rather than direct contradiction.
7. Limits of available reporting and unanswered questions
Sources document Ozzy’s public comments on mobility, surgeries, rehearsals, and his last performance, but available sources do not mention any explicit public statement by Ozzy that he wanted to die in a specific way (for example, requests about assisted dying or a described preferred setting of death) (not found in current reporting). Likewise, detailed medical records or private end‑of‑life wishes are not cited in the sources provided.
8. What to take away: candidness, performance framing and family curation
Ozzy’s public statements present a clear portrait: he spoke candidly about severe physical decline and Parkinson’s, prepared publicly for a staged farewell while acknowledging limits, and balanced bleak health facts with humor and gratitude [1] [4] [7]. His family and media projects helped frame the narrative of a final act; readers should weigh direct quotes against varying editorial frames across outlets [2] [11].