Ozzy Osbourne cancels all shows, says his touring career is over

SAN ANTONIO (WOAI) — Legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne took to Twitter on Wednesday to announce that his touring career is over.

In a statement, Osbourne said he had damaged his spine in an accident four years ago and that he can no longer cope with the travel required for a tour.

My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage,” he said. “My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.

Osbourne postponed his 2019 tour to recover from the initial spinal injury and said Wednesday, when he canceled the tour, that he was “honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time.”

His farewell European and UK tour was set to begin in Helsinki, Finland in May.

Osbourne – born John Michael in Birmingham, England in 1948 – hit the spotlight at the young age of 19 when he joined the groundbreaking heavy metal band Black Sabbath. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers released a pair of albums in 1970 – "Black Sabbath" and "Paranoid" – that many have said was a blueprint for the heavy metal sound that erupted in the later '70s with other bands like (fellow Birmingham boys) Judas Priest.

Osbourne's reputation in the U.S. took a hit when he was busted on Feb. 19, 1982 for urinating on the Alamo Cenotaph. This was an incident that, along with the biting the head off a bat, made him infamous. He played his sold out show at Hemisfair Arena that night, but afterward the San Antonio City Council passed a nonbinding resolution that stated Ozzy was not welcome back to any city facility.

It wasn't until 1992, when Ozzy made an official apology during a concert tour stop at the Freeman Coliseum that he found forgiveness.

In recent years, Osbourne, 74, has had several medical issues, including his revelation in January 2020 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and contracted COVID-19 in April 2022.

He ended the statement by thanking his family, band, crew, longtime friends, Judas Priest and his fans “for their endless dedication, loyalty, and support, and for giving me the life that I never ever dreamed I would have.”