On Feb. 1, the legendary Ozzy Osbourne, aged 74, singer of Black Sabbath and a man of many talents, achievements and awards most notably in the heavy metal scene throughout his career, announced he was retiring from touring for the remainder of this year. The announcement came from a series of injuries and illnesses plaguing him for the last several years.

In 2019, the longtime singer of Black Sabbath had fallen in front of his home in Los Angeles, CA, aggravating injuries from an incident he had had on an ATV all the way back in Dec. of 2003. That particular accident broke his collarbone, fractured eight ribs and damaged the spinal bones surrounding his neck. He received immediate care at the Wexham Park Hospital west of London, where doctors were able to quickly stabilize Osbourne and remove the pressure on his most crucial blood vessels.

His recovery since then has included three operations; stem cell treatments, plenty of physical therapy and the Cybernics HAL, or Hybrid Assistive Limb, a form of robotic treatment. The following year, in 2020, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a disorder that causes shaking, stiff movements, unsteadiness, difficulty with balance and coordination and other similar effects.

That night on Feb. 1, he conveyed to his fans via the official Twitter page, saying:

“I am honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time, but in all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required.” – Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne)

However, Osbourne did also report that his team is currently working on ways to bring him back to the stage without having him travel constantly from city to city and country to country as they continue to monitor his health. Those who had purchased tickets will receive a full refund as a result of the troubles, he also said.

While Osbourne garnered huge success as a singer of Black Sabbath, he was also a very successful solo artist as well, earning three Grammys and four lifetime achievement awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and he last toured in 2018, although he did make a surprise appearance alongside fellow musician Anthony Iommi in 2022 at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.