As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Ozzy Osbourne passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76.
News of the rock legend’s death came just weeks after he performed a farewell show in his hometown of Birmingham, England.
Now, sources with knowledge of Ozzy’s final days say there were concerns that the performance would have a fatal impact on his health.
Insiders expressed concerns about Ozzy’s health ahead of final show
According to a new report from Radar Online, those who know Ozzy best believed that he was unfit to take the stage.
But the rock legend would not be deterred, and he saw the farewell show as an essential part of his epic life story.
“Ozzy has said plenty of times that he’d be happy to die on stage, that’s where his heart and soul lie,” one source told the outlet.
“But people around him worry that if he pushes himself for this concert, he could end up a goner.”
The insider explained that Osbourne was “pigheaded,” adding that “there was no talking him out of it.”
“He’s got his heart set on doing one more show today, a proper goodbye. He wants it in his hometown of Birmingham.
“His Parkinson’s has progressed and he’s in a great deal of pain, but instead of resting, he’s pushing himself for this concert,” the insider continued, adding:
“People worry that he could be worsening his illness. But if anyone questions this plan, he flies off the handle. He won’t hear a word against it.
“It’s good to see he has this fire in his belly, but it’s also very worrying — for what might happen if he does it, and also what it will do to him if he can’t pull it off,” the source concluded.
Ozzy was candid about his health issues in his final years
Amid frequent death hoaxes and rumors about his health, Ozzy spoke candidly about his battle with Parkinson’s disease and other ailments.
In one recent interview, Osbourne spoke about a fall he suffered in 2019 and the disastrous surgery that followed.
“I saw this big white flash when I hit the floor, and I thought, ‘You’ve finally done it now’. I knew it was bad, I thought I was paralysed, so very calmly I said, ‘Sharon, I can’t move. I think I’ve done my neck. Phone an ambulance,'” he recalled.
Ozzy went on to explain that of all his health complications, it was the damage from that surgery that caused him the greatest strife.
“I mean, when I came off the quad bike in 2003, I still did tours and I had Parkinson’s back then. It was THAT f–ling surgery,” he revealed.
“I went to the doctor’s and you assume everybody knows what they’re doing. My son Jack has a video of me going into surgery, saying, ‘I’ll see you in a few minutes.’ I haven’t walked properly since.”
Today, the whole world is mourning the loss of one of rock’s greatest legends. Our thoughts go out to Ozz Osbourne’s loved ones during this enormously difficult time.