Ozzy Osbourne rules out another Black Sabbath reunion

Ozzy Osbourne has admitted that his hopes for performing again with Black Sabbath have faded during his rehab from spinal surgery and his treatment for advancing Parkinson's disease.

Ozzy and all three of his fellow Black Sabbath co-founders had expressed optimism that the band might fully reunite one final time in the coming years, perhaps for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which are set to be held in their hometown of Birmingham, England.

Drummer Bill Ward did not take part in the band's final studio album, 13, or its 'The End' farewell tour due to a dispute with the band's management. Ozzy and guitarist Tony Iommi have repeatedly expressed misgivings that Ward wasn't part of the celebration, but now the pair worries its chance to fix things has passed.

"I was talking to Tony Iommi the other day, and he was saying, by the looks of it, we're gonna be a f---ing thing of the past in the respect that there'll be no more indoor gigs," Ozzy told Rolling Stone, when asked if he would still explore revisiting Black Sabbath.

"Not for me. It's done," he continued. "The only thing I do regret is not doing the last farewell show in Birmingham with Bill Ward. I felt really bad about that. It would have been so nice. I don't know what the circumstances behind it were, but it would have been nice."

Ozzy emphasized that he still considers his Black Sabbath band mates "a family" and he is constantly amazed at how the music they made together has endured for so long.

He and Iommi reportedly speak almost every day. Though it's understandable why both would be dubious about committing to taking the stage again.

Iommi is a cancer-survivor who has been told by his doctors to expect his cancer to return someday.

In addition to Ozzy's above-referenced health problems, The Prince of Darkness was forced to cancel his solo farewell tour dates due to the pandemic. His stated goal in rehab has always been to make good on the lost 'No More Tours 2' dates.

This article was first published on iheart.com and is republished here with permission