Sharon Osbourne says that Ozzy‘s previously canceled U.K. tour will now take place in 2022.
When the coronavirus pandemic struck, Ozzy had just released his first solo album in a decade, “Ordinary Man”, which he recorded late last year while recovering from surgery and related illnesses. The BLACK SABBATH singer had previously scrapped all his 2019 and 2020 tour plans.
Speaking to U.K.s Planet Rock about the difficulties artists will face finding venues to play once the pandemic has subsided, Sharon said: “Well that’s the thing right now. Everybody’s booking their tours again for like 2022, and to find availabilities right now, it’s crazy. Agents and facilities are going nuts, trying to get everybody back. It will be exciting. I think it will be a very exciting time when bands do go back and it’ll be joyous.
“Ozzy‘s tour has been rebooked,” Sharon continued. “The British tour, he’ll be back in ’22. You know, we just carry on as normal. We’ve been doing loads of TV shows here and you’ve got to just keep going until Ozzy can go back live. He’s in the studio right now doing a new album. We’re going to do a movie of Ozzy‘s life story and he’s got to do the soundtrack to that… so I’ll keep him busy, let’s put it that way.”
Ozzy was also forced to cancel an April trip to Switzerland to see a doctor who specializes in treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The singer revealed earlier this year that he was diagnosed with the condition.
Asked for an update on Ozzy‘s health, Sharon told Planet Rock: “For Ozzy, when everybody had to go in lockdown, it kind of set him back because he couldn’t do his physiotherapy. He had nearly five months of no physio, and in those five months, I think all he and I did was lie on the couch, watch TV and eat. It kind of set him back, but he’s back to where he was before the pandemic. Since he’s been back working with the physio, every day I see an improvement, but it’s hard for Ozzy, because you don’t see yourself as you really are. He’s getting there — he is. He will be back and be on that stage.”
This past May, Ozzy‘s son Jack said that his father will “probably” retire “within the next five to ten years.” But Ozzy, who turned 71 last December, has repeatedly said that he is not calling it quits, despite the fact that his “No More Tours 2” — whenever it ends up happening — is being billed as his last major global trek.
