Heavy metal’s own ‘Prince Of Darkness’ Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon began the process of moving back to the U.K. this past spring. At the time, they cited concerns with rising taxes for their decision to pull up stakes and leave Los Angeles, CA.
With Sharon herself having taken up new employment in the UK after having been fired from ‘The Talk‘ last year amid much controversy, the move wasn’t entirely surprising. The couple will eventually be returning to their newly renovated estate in Buckinghamshire, UK, and it would appear that taxes weren’t the only reason why they wanted to leave America.
Speaking recently with The Observer, Sharon confirmed that Ozzy‘s health woes also weren’t the catalyst for the big move. Instead, other concerns played a larger part, as she stated:
“I knew people would think that [Ozzy‘s health] was the reason for the move.] It’s not. It’s just time. America has changed so drastically. It isn’t the United States of America at all. Nothing’s united about it. It’s a very weird place to live right now.”
Ozzy himself added:
“Everything’s fucking ridiculous there. I’m fed up with people getting killed every day. God knows how many people have been shot in school shootings. And there was that mass shooting in Vegas at that concert… It’s fucking crazy.
And I don’t want to die in America. I don’t want to be buried in fucking Forest Lawn. I’m English. I want to be back. But saying that, if my wife said we’ve got to go and live in Timbuktu, I’ll go. But, no, it’s just time for me to come home.”
While the interview delves into the various health challenges that Ozzy currently faces, it also touches upon his surprise return to the stage with Tony Iommi that occurred earlier this month at the ‘Commonwealth Games‘. Together the pioneering heavy metal performed the signature Black Sabbath track “Paranoid” at the closing ceremony of that event, which was held in the aforementioned band’s hometown of Birmingham, UK.
As Ozzy continues to suffer from the various health complications, including PRKN 2 (a form or Parkinson’s Disease), nerve pain and the ongoing recovery from a major surgery he underwent this past June, no precautions were taken. As Ozzy states, a bracket was constructed to help prop him up during the set. He commented of that:
“Sharon had them put in a bracket at the back, to hold me up. So I was leaning against that. And I was holding the microphone. I was kind of wedged in. Every time I see my Parkinson’s doctor, the first thing he says to me is: ‘Have you had any falls?’ Not only that, I’m on blood thinners. I’m pretty fucked up, actually.”
