How Ozzy Osbourne should prep for Black Sabbath's final show according to expert

Rock star Ozzy Osbourne should have some things in place before Black Sabbath's final show due to his health issues, an expert claims.

The 76-year-old will reunite with his former bandmates, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler, for the first time in 20 years at their farewell show, titled Back to the Beginning, scheduled for Saturday, July 5, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

While the show will include performances from Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, among others, Sabbath will only perform "bits and pieces," not a full set, as Ozzy is navigating new mobility challenges as his Parkinson's disease worsens.

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"I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable," Ozzy said in February. "I'm not going to get up there and do a half-hearted Ozzy looking for sympathy. What's the f-----g point in that? I'm not going up there in a f-----g wheelchair."

Despite saying he'll die when he gets on stage, he is determined to give fans one last great show.

Expressing his concerns ahead of the farewell gig, Ozzy told SiriusXM in May, "By hook or by crook, I am going to make this f-----g gig if it is the last thing I do. Well, it will be."

He also spoke candidly about his mental health struggles, revealing, "My head is crazy. ADHD, I have that badly. I will have done the show and died a death before I even started my exercises, so I try and put it on the back burner."

In 2020, Ozzy announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a year before. The Cleveland Clinic describes Parkinson's as "an age-related degenerative brain condition" that causes "slowed movements, tremors, balance problems, and more."

Speaking with People in 2022, the rock star said he was using a cane and struggling with his speech due to his condition. “I’ve never been this laid up," he said at the time.

Two years later, he told Rolling Stone UK he didn't "even think about Parkinson's that much." He expressed frustration with claims that the condition was a "battle" taking over his life. The same year, Ozzy opened up about his use of stem cell therapy during an episode of "Ozzy Speaks."

“I’ve just come back from the doctor after having some stem cells put in me... The thing is, you have it, and you go, ‘I don’t feel that great,’ but I don’t know what it would be like if I didn’t have it,” he said in a clip of the conversation.

Almost 20 years before his struggles with the disease, in 2003, Ozzy was involved in an accident while riding his four-wheel all-terrain vehicle. As a result, he suffered fractures in eight ribs, a vertebra, and his left collarbone. Doctors inserted metal rods into his body to help.

Then, in 2019, Ozzy fell on his face after getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. As the musician explained in an interview with Rolling Stone, the fall moved some of the metal rods doctors had left in his body after the vehicle crash. This led to surgery on his neck and spine.

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In a separate interview with Rolling Stone UK several years later, the rock star revealed that he underwent four rounds of spinal surgery in total as a result of the fall.

Speaking on his family's podcast, The Osbournes, in 2023, he revealed that he doesn't even "think about" his Parkinson's Disease because it's mild. If he doesn't take his medication, he trembles a "little bit" in the morning.

His son Jack Osbourne asked if his spinal injury was more of a hindrance than Parkinson's, to which the Iron Man singer said yes. Ozzy's wife, Sharon, added, "It's nothing related to the Parkinson's that Ozzy has."

Now, ahead of Black Sabbath's final show, Shannon Shaffer, APRN-CNP from the Cleveland Clinic and Medical Liason for Rune Labs, told Express US that Ozzy should have multiple things in place should he want to succeed on stage with Black Sabbath.

Touching on what it takes for a person with Parkinson's to perform on stage during such a huge event, Shaffer said, "Since this is something Ozzy has done for many years, it may not be as difficult as it would seem to someone who has not been a performer their whole life.

"However, high-energy performances will be much harder on him with PD. His symptoms may be a little more obvious when he is on stage due to the excitement and energy of performing."

Speaking about what Shaffer would recommend Ozzy do before, during, and after the performance, the expert added, "I cannot say what his doctors should be recommending, but if he were my patient, I would educate him on the following topics: Things that should be considered are making sure he has taken medications on time leading up to his event. He may need to take an extra dose during the show if it helps his motor symptoms.

"Oftentimes, patients who are expending more energy than usual may notice their medications do not work as well or as long as when they are less active. Exercise is always recommended for PD patients, so hopefully, he has been exercising in anticipation of this event, which will allow him to have more endurance for the show.

"I would also remind him to be cautious of his balance while moving around the stage, as depth perception and balance are likely not as reliable as they were the last time he performed."

The professional concluded, "And finally, hydration and making sure he does not overexert himself (for example, if the stage is very hot) because poor temperature regulation is an issue in PD as well as orthostatic hypotension, which could both leave him more prone to passing out if he is not properly hydrated prior to the show."

Despite his worries, Ozzy vowed to "give 120 percent" and is taking things one day at a time. When asked if he's excited for the farewell show, he admitted, "Believe you me, I still get stage fright. As soon as you get on stage, it's like s--t or bust. Ask him upstairs. In my case, the one below."

Osbourne disclosed that he is "in heavy training" after not having done "hasn't done any physical work for the last seven years."

"I have got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal. It's hard going, but he's convinced that he can pull it off for me. I'm giving it everything I've got. It's endurance. The first thing that goes when you're laid up is your stamina."

The icon shared that he is "having his blood pressure taken 15 times a day" and wears a "device on his finger" to keep track of his heart rate.

"I'm constantly in training seven days a week. I've got this guy who's virtually living with me, and I'm in bed by seven."

Hopefully, Ozzy will be in top form and feel good about his upcoming performance. The event's proceeds are supporting Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Acorns Children's Hospice.