Ozzy Osbourne Reacts to Grammy Nominations: “I Love Surprises”

This year has seen the Prince of Darkness re-throned with four recent Grammy nominations only solidifying his reign.

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Ozzy Osbourne’s latest album, Patient Number 9, was an instant success when it dropped this past September, however, the rock icon welcomed the album’s multiple Grammy nominations in shock.

“The whole thing shocked me,” he told Billboard after the news that his album is dotting many of the prestigious ceremony’s rock categories. He is being recognized for this year’s Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance, and Best Metal Performance. He continued, “I mean, if I won anything for the album I’ll be floored.

“That’s what I like about the business,” he said of being pleasantly stunned by the acclaim. “It’s never short of—I love surprises.”

When asked if he would be preparing a speech in anticipation of a win, he told the outlet, “I’m not good at making speeches. I always end up saying it twice or blowing it or whatever. I’m sure my wife [Sharon] will have it worked out. Behind me is my wife. My wife pulls my strings.”

Patient Number 9 marks the rocker’s 13th solo endeavor. It’s all Ozzy—a dark, ominous, heavy-hitter that reverberates rock to the core. The album boasts big names like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Duff McKagan, and the late Taylor Hawkins to name a few. Osbourne’s former-bandmate, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, also appears on project.

In the background of his musical successes, it was recently revealed that an operation had greatly hindered the 74-year-old rocker’s mobility. “It is so fucking tough because I want to be out there,” Osbourne said on SiriusXM’s Boneyard podcast. “I want to be doing it. This fucking surgery this guy did. Fucking hell, you have no idea.”

Having struggled with his health in recent years, including being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020, he said, “The thing is my head is all right, my creativity is OK, my singing OK but I just can’t fucking walk much now. I can’t begin to tell you how fucking frustrating life has become. It is amazing how you go along in life and one stupid thing can screw everything up for a long time. I have never been ill this long in my life.”

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

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