Ozzy Osbourne has revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The Black Sabbath frontman and reality TV star, 71, told US morning show Good Morning America it was discovered that he had the neurodegenerative disorder after a fall.
He said: “I did my last show 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 and I found out that I have a mild form.”
His wife Sharon, who is also his manager, added: “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. And it’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day.”
Osbourne continued: “I’m on a host of medications, mainly for the surgery.
.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Rock legend @OzzyOsbourne sits down with @RobinRoberts and breaks his silence about his private health battle with Parkinson's disease. https://t.co/tYd0K3rQet pic.twitter.com/ANaS82xakY
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 21, 2020
“I got a numbness down this arm for the surgery, my legs keep going cold.
“I don’t know if that’s the Parkinson’s or what, you know, but that’s the problem. Because they cut nerves when they did the surgery. I’d never heard of nerve pain, and it’s a weird feeling.”
Speaking to host Robin Roberts, Sharon revealed the couple will now go abroad so Osbourne can receive treatment, saying: “We have reached a point in this country where we can’t go any further because we have got all the answers we can get here, so in April we are going to a professor in Switzerland who deals with getting your immune system at its peak.
“We are going to go wherever we can go to seek answers.”
So thankful for @OzzyOsbourne & @MrsSOsbourne welcoming me into their LA home to discuss the rockstar adjusting to life with a form of #Parkinson's. Coming up @GMA two of their children @KellyOsbourne & @JackOsbourne talk about how their family's bonding together during this time
— Robin Roberts (@RobinRoberts) January 21, 2020
Osbourne said he felt lucky to be able to afford to go abroad to see doctors but added he had found it difficult keeping the facts about his health a secret.
He said: “To hide something inside for a while, it’s hard. You never feel proper, you feel guilty.
“I’m no good with secrets. I cannot walk around with it any more because it’s like I’m running out of excuses, you know?”
He continued: “I feel better now that I’ve owned up to the fact that I have Parkinson’s. I just hope they (the fans) hang on and are there for me because I need them.
Sharon also spoke of the difficulty of putting on a brave face, saying: “I have to be there for Ozzy and for the family. Because if I break down and their Dad… it’s like, no, you just can’t do it.
“It just means so much to him, what he does, he loves to perform, it’s the air that he breathes.
“This is the longest that he’s ever been home and it’s time for him to get back on the road because he’s driving me mad. He really needs to get back out there.”
Osbourne also said he hopes to perform again, saying: “I just can’t wait to get well enough to go on the road, that is what is killing me.
“I need it, that is my drug today. I’ve done all of the other crap, left that by the wayside, survived that, and I ain’t done yet and I ain’t going to go anywhere yet.”