A producer on 'The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne', Jack Osbourne spills why the former Black Sabbath frontman and his wife Sharon were reluctant to share his health battle with the world.
- May 1, 2020
AceShowbiz - Jack Osbourne had to convince his father Ozzy Osbourne and mother Sharon Osbourne to chronicle the rocker's Parkinson's disease battle in his new documentary to avoid "lying" to fans.
The former Black Sabbath frontman gets candid about his long struggle with substance abuse, trouble with the law, and marital issues with his manager wife Sharon in "The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne" - but one thing the singer wasn't ready to open up about was his most recent health diagnosis.
Jack, who serves as a producer on the film, reveals his parents were reluctant to go public with the health news on camera, despite learning he was suffering from the progressive neurological condition in early 2019, while the project was in the midst of production.
"I had to kind of persuade both my dad and mum," he tells Variety. "I was like, 'We would be doing this film an injustice to not do this. This is a monumental moment in your life and in your career... To ignore that, then we should not even be doing this doc because we'd be lying to your fans'."
Ozzy and Sharon eventually realised he was right and agreed to open up on camera, but Jack understands why they initially hesitated, because the diagnosis "shook" them all to their core.
Explaining why he was so emotional during one particular appearance in "The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne", Jack says, "When we did that interview, we didn't know if my dad was ever going to be able to perform again. With that comes a lot of fear because it's like a racehorse when they can't race anymore: They give up. That's the fear I had."
However, with the help of radical treatment from a doctor in Switzerland, Ozzy, 71, has been able to press on with his life and career, releasing "Ordinary Man", his first solo studio album in 10 years, in February.
"Now, since doing that interview, my dad went and did another album. It was one of his most successful albums to date," Jack shares of Ordinary Man. "He's going back in the studio when this coronavirus bulls**t dies down."
"But there was a time of huge uncertainty, which really kind of shook the foundation of the whole family."
"The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne", directed by Greg Johnston, had initially been due to premiere at the axed South by Southwest festival in Austin Texas in March, but will now debut on America's A&E network this summer.
