Judas Priest’s Rob Halford thinks Ozzy Osbourne “made the right call” by retiring from touring

Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford has shared his thoughts on Ozzy Osbourne‘s recent retirement from touring.

• READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne: a rock’n’roll showman like no other

Speaking to Metal Hammer, Halford said he had not spoken to Osbourne in person since the latter announced his retirement from touring in early February. However, Halford texted Osbourne to congratulate him on his recent two-Grammy win for best rock album and best metal performance.

Digging deeper into the topic of retirement, Halford said: “I can only reinforce what all of Ozzy’s fans, including us in Judas Priest, have said to him though, which is that he has done so much for all of us in rock and metal. He’s done so much for his fans, and we all know how bad he feels about having to cancel because he lives for those fans. You can see that every time he goes onstage, he’s beaming and connecting with everybody.”

He added: “It was terrible for him to have to make that important – and, to be honest, right – decision. He made the right call. I don’t think he wanted to put himself through a thing where it’s like ‘Okay, we’ll have a go’ then have to cancel after a couple of shows. Even though there’s a lot of love for him and a lot of care and understanding, I’ve seen what the British metal maniacs have been saying and it’s exactly how I feel too – put your feet up, you’ve earned it!”

Ozzy Osbourne announced his retirement from touring on February 1, writing that it was “probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans. As you may know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine,” the former Black Sabbath frontman wrote, talking about a fall which resulted in the singer getting neck surgery. He would go on to cancel all of his remaining tour dates in Europe and the UK.

Last week, Osbourne would clarify his retirement announcement, saying “So, if I can ever get back to where I can tour again, fine,” before explaining “If I get OK today. If the doctor said to me today, ‘Oh, you can tour.’ It would take another six months to get it together, you know? The only thing I’ve got that keeps me going is making records. But I can’t do that forever. I gotta get out there.”

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