We all knew the day would come. None of us wanted it. Ozzy didn’t want it. Between surgeries, and The Great Pause (‘rona), and other health issues, Ozzy and his legions of fans – me included – were hoping there would be a way to see the Prince of Darkness in concert once more.

At 74, Ozzy Osbourne can still belt out great tunes, but he said that injuries have left him “physically weak.” His statement from social media:

“This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans. As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine. Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way. My team is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country.”

It’s heartbreaking news on one hand, but on the other, at least we know he can still make music, so he’s not totally out of the game. His most recent album, Patient Number 9, dropped in September and hosts a plethora of guest artists, from the late Jeff Beck, the late Taylor Hawkins, Eric Clapton, even his Black Sabbath cohort, Tony Iommi.

I feel so blessed to have seen Ozzy multiple times, from 10 consecutive years of Ozzfest, two of which included the OG Black Sabbath, and a couple of solo shows. It would have been nice to see him on stage again a few more times, but I am so thankful for all those shows I did get to witness firsthand and those memories will remain with me forever.