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Ozzy Osbourne Breaks Silence on Parkinson’s Diagnosis

The heavy-metal icon said, despite his diagnosis, he will still be on the road later this year.

Ozzy Osbourne has spoken publicly for the first time about his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. In an interview on Good Morning America, the rock icon said he was diagnosed last year with a form of Parkinson’s, which has no cure, but can be managed. “I’m no good with secrets,” he told the show. “I cannot walk around with it anymore because it’s like I’m running out of excuses, you know?” Osborne appeared with his wife Sharon and two of his children, Jack and Kelly. Sharon explained the diagnosis, saying: “It’s PRKN 2... 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.” Kelly said: “The hardest thing is watching somebody that you love suffer.” Despite his diagnosis, Ozzy will go on tour this year and said of his fans: “They’re my air, you know... I feel better. I’ve owned up to the fact that I have... a case of Parkinson’s. And I just hope they hang on and they’re there for me because I need them.”