Ozzy Osbourne is sharing details of a hand injury that required surgery and resulted in the recent postponement of four US shows on his farewell tour.
Rolling Stone reports the rocker realized he had a problem when his right thumb had swollen to “the size of an f-in’ lightbulb,” according to Ozzy, who says “I freaked out.”
A visit to the emergency room confirmed the Black Sabbath legend had contracted a potentially deadly staph infection…and not just one, but three individual ones in his thumb and one had spread to his middle finger.
A staph infection occurs when otherwise normal germs on a person’s skin find a way into a person’s bloodstream, at which point they could turn deadly if not treated.
Asked how he could have gotten it. “The doctor said to me, ‘Can you remember talking to someone and shaking hands?'” Osbourne recalls. “Well, I do that meet and greet at the gig and I must shake 200 hands a day. He said, ‘That explains it.'”
Following surgery, the singer was sent home with a special soap for his hand and was told to soak it twice a day for about 10 days while continuing to see a specialist.
The situation saw the rocker postpone, cancel and ultimately reschedule what were to be the final four US shows of the year; stops in Mountain View, CA, Chula Vista, CA, Los Angeles, CA and Las Vegas, NV were moved to July 2019.
“I was really looking forward to doing the Hollywood Bowl,” adds Osbourne. “I’m going to make those shows up next year. It could have been a lot worse. I could have been dead.”
This week, Ozzy announced plans to headline a New Year’s Eve edition of Ozzfest at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, December 31.
Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Jonathan Davis of Korn and Body Count featuring Ice-T will join the legendary rocker for the first-ever, special one-night edition of his annual festival that will also include an outdoor stage headlined by guitarist Zakk Wylde’s Black Sabbath tribute, Zakk Sabbath.
The evening will conclude with Osbourne onstage counting down to the new year.
Tickets for Ozzfest 2018 will go on sale Friday, October 26 at 10:00 AM (PT) via livenation, with VIP packages available via ozzfest.com.
See also:
Ozzy Osbourne to headline New Year’s Eve Ozzfest in Los Angeles
Ozzy Osbourne announces rescheduled dates following hand surgery
Ozzy Osbourne cancels final 2018 US dates following hand surgery
Ozzy Osbourne postpones more US shows following hand surgery
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