Ozzy Osbourne Is Done With Touring, But Says ‘My Goal Is to Get Back Onstage as Soon as Possible’

At the upcoming 65th annual Grammy Awards, legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne is nominated in four categories for his Patient Number 9 album, including its title track, which features the late Jeff Beck.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Osbourne discussed his good fortune with collaborations, having worked with most of his heroes. However, he has yet to work with his biggest inspiration: Paul McCartney. A devoted Beatles fan, Osbourne has indeed reached out to McCartney in the past. “I did ask him one time,” he says, “but he came up with the excuse of, ‘Well, I couldn’t beat the bass player that was already on there.’ I went, ‘Maybe you’re right.'”

Patient Number 9 is indeed a star-studded affair. Beck, Mike McCready, Eric Clapton and former Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, plus many more, all contributed instrumentals. The co-writers are just as impressive, with Osbourne tapping Chad Smith, Ali Tamposi and the late Taylor Hawkins, among others.

“He died literally a week or two after he worked on my album,” Osbourne recalled of the Foo Fighters drummer. He shared with a laugh how Hawkins would repeatedly tell him, “Dave Grohl is my boss.” Says Osbourne, “I didn’t know if he was joking or what.”

He also discussed working with Post Malone and Miss Piggy, who according to the rocker said he “stunk.”

He also touched on what having a hit reality TV show did for his career (and to his family) and most importantly, addressed how his fans have been there for him every step of the way. “That’s the thing I really miss about not doing gigs,” he says. “I’m a hands-on guy. I like talking to my fans, I miss them terribly.”

On Wednesday (Feb. 1), Osbourne posted a note to fans on social media, saying, “This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans…” In it, he announced that his touring days have come to an end and that his scheduled European/UK tour dates have been canceled. “Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really f—s me up, more than you will ever know.”

“My team is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city or country to country,” he continued in the note, which echoes a hope he shared during his Billboard interview.

“My goal is to get back onstage as soon as possible.”

Watch the full interview in the video above.