Ozzy Osbourne wishes he could have been at the Commonwealth Games in his home city of Birmingham.
The Black Sabbath frontman, 73, who hails from Aston, Birmingham, was delighted to hear the band’s 1970 classic ‘Paranoid’ played at the end of Monday’s (01.08.22) games.
He captioned a clip of the TV coverage on Instagram: “This was played at the end of today’s #CommonwealthGames. I really wish I could have been there with you all. Just amazing for Birmingham!”
Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, 74, was joined by acclaimed saxophonist Soweto Kinch to perform the dream sequence, ‘Hear my Voice’ – which is based on the title track from 2020 film ‘Trial of the Chicago Seven’ – reimagined by local RnB vocalists Indigo Marshall and Gambimi at the opening ceremony at the Alexander Stadium last week.
Ozzy is currently recovering from a major operation at home in Los Angeles.
Along with Parkinson’s and a bout of COVID-19, Ozzy has been dealing with the fallout from a brutal 2003 quad biking accident.
He suffered neck injuries, which were later worsened by a 2019 fall that resulted in 15 screws being inserted into his back.
Ozzy said after undergoing the operation in June: “I am now home from the hospital recuperating comfortably.
“I am definitely feeling the love and support from all my fans and send everyone a big thank you for their thoughts, prayers and well wishes during my recovery.”
The ‘Dreamer’ singer admitted he is enduring a “slow climb back” to health.
Ozzy got back on his feet and was happy to meet fans at his first ever appearance at Comic-Con in San Diego last month.
He said: “It’s great, it’s great. I like to see people, you know. That’s been the hardest thing of the past three years, because I’ve been trying to recover from my surgery. I’m getting there. It’s a slow climb back, you know?”
And his wish of wanting to be at the Commonwealth Games comes after his wife Sharon, 69, revealed Ozzy is keen to move back to England after his latest surgery.
She said: “He’s doing okay, he sends you his love. He’s got one more operation left to do and then he’s dying to come back home.”
The talent manager and TV personality recently admitted she now has to care for Ozzy “a lot” because of his health issues.
She said: “It’s very difficult, because the combination of the Parkinson’s and his accident, you go, well, which one is this? Why’s this happening? Why’s that happening?”
Meanwhile, Ozzy releases his new solo album ‘Patient Number 9’ on September 9.