Ozzy Osbourne Not Retiring, Says Bandmate

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Ozzy Osbourne

When Black Sabbath walked off the stage at the end of their show at Birmingham, England’s Genting Arena on Feb. 4—the final stop on their lengthy “The End” tour—one question still hung in the air: What will Ozzy Osbourne do now? Will the 68-year-old continue as a solo artist or spend the rest of his days lying in the sun sipping pina coladas and reminiscing about the bad old days?

No worries, Oz fans: According to Rudy Sarzo, longtime Osbourne bassist and close friend, Ozzy has no plans to hang it up any time soon. In an article published in the New York Daily News, Sarzo said, “Ozzy, he can never stop being Ozzy. He’s got to go out there and tour, you know, be himself. I cannot imagine him sitting at home, watching TV, that’s impossible. I saw him recently with Black Sabbath and he sounded amazing.”

Sarzo made his statement at the premiere of the documentary Hired Gun: Out of the Shadows, Into the Spotlight, which focuses on the role played by backup musicians.

Ozzy’s wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, has said publicly that her husband will likely retire before he hits 70, which would mean he’s got until December 2018 to make his last stand. But Sarzo isn’t buying it. In fact, Osbourne is reportedly working on a new solo album at the present time, which would most likely put him back on the road in support of the project.

Said Sarzo in the article: “Ozzy is just a unique performer. He has this energy that so few people in the world possess. That just doesn’t go away… He has a certain spirit that is very rare and unique.”

Watch Black Sabbath play “Paranoid” at their final gig in February