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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Ozzy Osbourne publicly disclosed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in January 2020, though CBS reported that he had been diagnosed in 2003. In the years that followed, he spoke about walking difficulties, nerve pain, spinal operations and whether he could perform again. His comments also made an important distinction: he attributed his inability to tour to spinal problems and physical weakness, not Parkinson’s alone. This timeline covers the major public statements documented here; it is not a complete inventory of every interview or account from his life.
2020: Osbourne disclosed a diagnosis made years earlier
In a January 2020 interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, Osbourne revealed that he had Parkinson’s disease. CBS reported that he had received the diagnosis in 2003 and had kept it private until then. CBS’s account of the diagnosis disclosure described the interview and the difficult period that followed a fall and neck surgery in 2019.
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Osbourne’s public accounts connected that fall and surgery with nerve pain and mobility problems. CBS also reported numbness in his arms and cold sensations in his legs. His family said it was difficult to tell which symptoms stemmed from the spinal injury and surgery and which were related to Parkinson’s. ABC News’ interview account likewise framed the disclosure as part of a difficult year after his fall and surgery.
2022: walking was difficult, but he hoped to perform again
In a 2022 interview with The Guardian, Osbourne spoke about Parkinson’s effects on walking and nerve pain after spinal procedures. He again said he had been diagnosed in 2003 and had not made the diagnosis public until early 2020. After performing at Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games closing ceremony, he voiced hope that he might tour again. That was his outlook at the time, not a prediction of what would happen later. Read the 2022 interview in The Guardian.
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2023: he linked his touring limits to spinal damage and weakness
Why he canceled the UK and European tour
On February 1, 2023, Osbourne announced that he could not manage the travel required for the UK and European tour. In his official statement, he said, “my singing voice is fine,” while describing spinal damage, operations, treatments and physical therapy. He left open the possibility of performing somewhere that would not require travel between cities and countries. Read Osbourne’s tour-cancellation statement.
His clarification about Parkinson’s and performing
In later 2023 comments reported by Good Morning America, Osbourne pushed back on coverage that suggested Parkinson’s was why he could not perform. He said spinal surgeries had prevented him from performing and described weakness and balance problems. He also said, “I don’t even think about Parkinson’s that much.” These were Osbourne’s own explanations of his situation, not a medical finding that Parkinson’s had no effect on him. Read the 2023 report from Good Morning America.
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2025: he said he could not walk, then performed seated
In 2025, Osbourne said he could not walk and expressed gratitude to still be alive. At the July 5 Back to the Beginning concert in Birmingham, he performed from a throne and called it his last live performance. The Associated Press reported that he told the crowd: “I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel — thank you from the bottom of my heart,” AP’s concert report described the performance and his remarks.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What was reported after his death
Osbourne died on July 22, 2025, aged 76. This information about his death is not one of his statements: the Associated Press later reported details from a death certificate obtained by The New York Times. AP said the certificate listed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction as joint causes. Read the Associated Press report.
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The distinction matters: Osbourne’s comments during his life described how he understood his symptoms and limits, while the certificate details were reported after his death. His own 2023 explanation was that spinal surgeries and physical weakness—not Parkinson’s—were what stopped him from touring and performing.
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