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OZZY OSBOURNE is “really looking forward to attending ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME induction ceremony” in October

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

16-08-2024

Following Ozzy Osbourne‘s two Grammy Awards in 2023 for “Best Rock Album” (his first-ever win in the category) and “Best Metal Performance” from his hugely successful and critically acclaimed “Patient Number 9” album (Epic Records) and a recent No. 1-charting Active Rock song “Crack Cocaine” — a collaboration with Billy Morrison and Steve Stevens — he is now setting his sights on the 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Osbourne has earned a solo induction for his nearly six-decade career in music. BLACK SABBATH was inducted in 2006. This honor makes Ozzy one of a handful of artists with multiple inductions into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

“It’s still hard to believe I’m about to be a two-time inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame,” Ozzy says. “I’m really looking forward to attending the induction ceremony in Cleveland this October. More importantly, I am so blessed to have had such an incredible career with amazing fans who have stuck by me through thick and thin over the years.”

The 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction will be seen live on Saturday, October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2024 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+ with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day.

Speaking to Billboard, the 75-year-old Osbourne said getting a second induction “feels big. I’m more than honored.”

He went on to reflect on his solo career, saying: “With every new music venture there’s always a certain amount of surprise that comes when you see the fans embrace it, because no one wants to make a record and have it flop. I feel like I was invited to a party in 1980, and it hasn’t stopped. Not bad for a guy who was fired from his last band.”

Ozzy‘s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne discussed his absence from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist during an appearance earlier this year on “The Adam Carolla Show”. Asked by host Adam Carolla how the nomination process works and whether she has to lobby to get Ozzy in as a solo artist, Sharon said: “There are people on the board, and the people on the board have to go in, and it has to be on their list, and it has to be on more than, I think, half of the votes. More than half.”

Sharon went on to say that she doesn’t like to “beg” anyone for anything. “I will never beg, and I will never ask for favors,” she explained. “I’ve never asked anyone for a favor. So, my thing is fuck you if you don’t realize that somebody really deserves to be here. And you don’t recognize that? Then, see ya.”

When Adam pressed Sharon about whether she has done “any lobbying” to get Ozzy into the Rock Hall, she said: “We went to a dinner last year for the people who had been inducted in last year. They invited us to the dinner and we went. And people were saying to Ozzy, ‘Oh, you’ve been inducted in,’ and we were, like, ‘No, actually. We were just invited for the food, so we’re here.’ That’s as near as we’ve got, but no.”

Sharon added: “They know that Ozzy deserves to be there. They know he’s been a solo artist. You’ve gotta be doing it for 25 years. He’s been 43 years as a solo artist. He sold nearly a hundred million albums as a solo artist. So where is he? Induct him.”

Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

In 1999, Ozzy attempted to take BLACK SABBATH‘s name off the Hall Of Fame‘s nomination list that year, deeming the institution’s nod “meaningless.”

In an October 1999 letter to the Hall Of FameOsbourne said: “Just take our name off the list. Save the ink. Forget about us. The nomination is meaningless, because it’s not voted on by the fans. It’s voted on by the supposed elite for the industry and the media, who’ve never bought an album or concert ticket in their lives, so their vote is irrelevant to me.” He added, “Let’s face it, BLACK SABBATH has never been media darlings. We’re a people’s band and that suits us just fine.”

Back in 2005, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi told Launch he was not happy that SABBATH had not yet been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. “I’m pissed off about that,” he said. “I think that’s… you know, I don’t normally go round blowing our own trumpet saying we are this and we are that. I’m not that kind of person but I really think we deserve… you know, to be in that. Because without us that kind of music wouldn’t have existed. ‘Cause a lot of bands that have sparked off from us wouldn’t be around and there probably wouldn’t be this king of music.”

When BLACK SABBATH finally earned its induction in 2006, the band went in with LYNYRD SKYNYRDMike Davis and BLONDIE.

Legendary Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during the 2021 ceremony. Rhoads, who played in Ozzy‘s band more than four decades ago, received the Musical Excellence Award at the October 2021 event.

The legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman was diagnosed in 2003 with Parkin 2 — a very rare genetic form of Parkinson’s. During a TV appearance in January 2020, the singer disclosed that he was ‘stricken” with the disease which occurs when the nerve cells of the body degenerate and levels of dopamine are reduced. Dopamine is an essential chemical that is produced by these nerve cells which send signals to different parts of the brain to control movements of the body.

Parkinson’s disease is an incurable progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects an estimated one million Americans, more men than women and most often in people over age 60. The disease is not fatal but it increases the risk of pneumonia, falls and other conditions that may lead to death.

Last November, Ozzy spoke to Rolling Stone UK about the possibility of returning to the live stage. He said: “I’m taking it one day at a time, and if I can perform again, I will. But it’s been like saying farewell to the best relationship of my life. At the start of my illness, when I stopped touring, I was really pissed off with myself, the doctors, and the world. But as time has gone on, I’ve just gone, ‘Well, maybe I’ve just got to accept that fact.

“I’m not going to get up there and do a half-hearted Ozzy looking for sympathy. What’s the fucking point in that? I’m not going up there in a fucking wheelchair. I’ve seen Phil Collins perform recently, and he’s got virtually the same problems as me. He gets up there in a wheelchair. But I couldn’t do that.”

Ozzy went on to pay tribute to his fans who made it possible for him to have a five-plus-decade career, first with SABBATH and then as a solo artist.

“That’s one of the things I’ve been the most fucking pissed off at: I never got the chance to say goodbye or thank you,” he said. “Because my fans are what it’s all about. If I can just do a few gigs… They’ve been loyal to me for fucking years. They write to me, they know all about my dogs. It’s my extended family really, and they give us the lifestyle we have. For whatever reason, that’s my goal to work to. To do those shows. If it’s at Ozzfest or somewhere, or even a fucking gig at the Roundhouse (in London)

“If I can’t continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, ‘Hi guys, thanks so much for my life.’ That’s what I’m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man.”

Earlier in November, Ozzy and Sharon‘s son Jack told The Messenger that his father’s days of hitting the road are likely behind him. “I don’t think he’ll tour again,” Jack said. “But he’s gunning to do one-off shows — like festivals, gigs, things like that.”

“He’s not done yet,” he added.

Last September, Ozzy opened up about his series of operations in an interview with Metal Hammer as he shared his hopes of making “one more album” and a return to touring.

“I’ve had all the surgery now, thank God,” the 75-year-old said. “I’m feeling okay. It was just dragging on. I thought I’d be back on my feet months ago. I just couldn’t get used to this mode of living, constantly having something wrong. I can’t walk properly yet, but I’m not in any pain anymore and the surgery on my spine went great.”

Osbourne also discussed his plans for 2024, saying: “I’m getting myself fit. I’ve done two albums fairly recently (2020’s ‘Ordinary Man’ and 2022’s ‘Patient Number 9’), but I want to do one more album and then go back on the road.”

Last July, the BLACK SABBATH singer canceled his appearance at the Power Trip festival due to his ongoing physical ailments.

Ozzy‘s health issues, including suffering a nasty fall and dislodging metal rods placed in his spine following a quad-bike accident in 2003, as well as catching COVID-19 more than two years ago, forced him to cancel some of his previously announced tours.

While Osbourne‘s health issues forced him to scrap most of his live appearances, the musician said he would return if his condition improved.

Osbourne‘s previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was officially cancelled  in early February 2023.

Despite his health problems, Osbourne has performed a couple of times in the last two years, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022 and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game in September 2022.

Ozzy’s last album Patient Number 9 was written by OzzyWattRobert Trujillo (METALLICA), Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) and Ali Tamposi and features a riveting solo from legendary guitarist Jeff Beck

“Patient Number 9” track listing:
01. Patient Number 9 (feat. Jeff Beck)

02. Immortal (feat. Mike McCready)
03. Parasite (feat. Zakk Wylde)
04. No Escape From Now (feat. Tony Iommi)
05. One Of Those Days (feat. Eric Clapton)
06. A Thousand Shades (feat. Jeff Beck)
07. Mr. Darkness (feat. Zakk Wylde)
08. Nothing Feels Right (feat. Zakk Wylde)
09. Evil Shuffle (feat. Zakk Wylde)
10. Degradation Rules (feat. Tony Iommi)
11. Dead And Gone
12. God Only Knows
13. Darkside Blues

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