Sharon Osbourne has given a concerning update on her husband Ozzy's health as Black Sabbath gears up for their final performance. The band, widely regarded as the founders of metal music, will take to the stage one last time at Villa Park today.

The Prince of Darkness, as Ozzy is known, has hinted at retirement before, but his deteriorating health suggests this could indeed be the last time both he and the band perform. Sharon, who also acts as Ozzy's manager, had previously told him that his 2019 tour would be his swansong.

This was particularly due to the fact that midway through the tour, Ozzy was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He had attributed an intermittent numbness in his leg to years of substance abuse and heavy drinking.

The band postponed the European leg of the tour in order to let Ozzy recover at home. Further disaster however struck for Ozzy when he "stupidly" decided to attempt "diving into bed".

The rockstar hadn't turned on his light and assumed he knew where his bed was. Instead, he ended up crashing onto the floor.

According to Sharon, this incident exacerbated an old quadbike injury that Ozzy sustained in 2003. He was rushed to intensive care and informed that he would require surgery or risk becoming paraplegic.

Ozzy described it as the "worst f***ing surgery you can imagine". He now regrets undergoing the operation, fearing he should have sought a second opinion on his injuries.

The procedure involved placing two metal plates on either side of Ozzy's spine. However, the screws soon loosened, leading to lesions and bone fragments.

"They still haven't found out the damage, it's so intricate," Sharon Osbourne disclosed regarding Ozzy's health struggles. She shared how the couple sought out a specialist surgeon to extricate all the metal from the rockstar's spine.

Sharon went on: "Five operations later, it just f***ed his body. It was torturous for him: Parkinson's and damage to his spine. It's just been horrendous."

Despite this setback, Ozzy has remained industrious in the music scene. He dropped the highly praised album Ordinary Man in 2020 and its successor 'Patient Number 9' in 2022.

During the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Ozzy joined forces with Black Sabbath comrade Tony Iommi for a performance, albeit supported by a brace due to his back injury.

Ozzy, notorious for outrageous acts like decapitating a bat with his teeth, was contemplating mortality, "praying to die in his sleep", when Sharon proposed reuniting the original Sabbath members for one last show. Additionally, she envisaged bringing together bands that Black Sabbath had influenced over the years.

Foundation stones of rock, Ozzy and Tony, alongside Bill Ward and Geezer Butler, gave rise to Black Sabbath in 1968. Their influence drew heavyweights such as Guns 'n' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, Alice in Chains, and Van Halen to agree to perform at the concert.

With Metallica, Rage Against the Machine and Judas Priest members rounding off an impressive roster, some fans have declared this concert the most extraordinary heavy metal gathering ever witnessed.

Sabbath expressed uncertainty about their own performance, with Tony suggesting Ozzy might end up "sitting on a throne," while Ozzy anticipates performing "a couple of songs" from both the band's repertoire and his solo work.

Ozzy admits that although he's tempted to say "never say never", this concert signifies the conclusion of an over five-decade-long touring career. Sharon light-heartedly remarks that post-concert, they'll "get some ponies and chickens" and settle into retirement at their Buckinghamshire residence.