As much as he wanted to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, the Black Sabbath frontman admits that 'my body is telling me that I'm just not ready yet.'
- Jul 12, 2023
AceShowbiz - Ozzy Osbourne has made the "painful" decision to pull out of the 2023 Power Trip Festival. The Black Sabbath frontman, 74, who suffers from a rare form of Parkinson's, was set to play with the band at the three-day heavy metal music festival scheduled for 6-8 October at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, but he has cancelled the appearance as he keeps battling his health issues.
He said in a statement released on Monday, July 10, "As painful as this is, I've had to make the decision to bow out of performing on Power Trip in October. My original plan was to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, and when the offer to do this show came in, I optimistically moved forward. Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I'm just not ready yet and I am much too proud to have the first show that I do in nearly five years be half-a****."
The rocker confirmed Black Sabbath's replacement will be "announced shortly" and said he "personal friends" with the new band. He added to fans, "I can promise that you will not be disappointed. Above all, I want to thank my fans, my band, and my crew for their unconditional loyalty and continual support. I love you all and I will see you soon. God Bless, Ozzy."
The current line-up of the festival features Metallica, Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, Tool and AC/DC. Ozzy was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019, but did not share his diagnosis with fans until he suffered a nasty fall in a "pitch-black" bathroom.
The rocker recently told The Observer the condition had grown so bad it had left him feeling as if he was "walking around in lead boots", adding, "You think you're lifting your feet, but your foot doesn't move."
Ozzy also credited his long-suffering wife Sharon Osbourne, 70, with helping him get through his drink and drugs battles and now his health woes, and admitted he would be "f***king gone" without her support. The singer last year underwent "life-altering" surgery to remove and realign a series of pins in his neck and back from a 2003 quad biking accident.
Sharon told "Good Morning America" in 2020 about how his condition left him going from having a "good" to "a really bad day," "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."
