Ozzy Osbourne may never sing again amid battle with Parkinson’s says expert – The Sun
EXPERTS fear Ozzy Osbourne could lose his singing voice within months as he battles Parkinson's disease.
The Black Sabbath singer, 71, shocked the world after opening up his about his diagnosis earlier this week.
And despite vowing to return to the stage later this year, Dr Rachel Dolhun of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has feared it may not be possible for the rocker.
The expert told The Daily Star how patients often experience difficulties with speech and swallowing while battling the disease.
She said: “It does this by affecting the way the vocal cords and swallowing muscles actually move.
"In people with Parkinson’s, often times the voice gets much quieter. The emotion or tone is taken away.
“This is really a core part of Parkinson’s for a lot of people and it becomes a very difficult symptom to manage.”
Earlier this week, Ozzy revealed he had secretly been battling Parkinson's during an emotional interview with wife Sharon.
He learnt of the devastating diagnosis last February and is now on a "whole host" of medication to treat his nerve pain.
His health nightmare began when he suffered a fall last year and had to undergo surgery on his neck.
After the surgery he experienced nerve pain and ever since doctors have been struggling to work out if the fall, the surgery or the Parkinson's are to blame for his pain.
"It has been terribly challenging for us," he said of the last year.
"I had to have surgery on my neck which screwed all my nerves."
"I found out that I have a mild form of…." Ozzy broke off leaving his ever-present wife to finish his sentence.
Sharon jumped in: "It's Parkin 2 which is a form of Parkinson's. There are so many different types of Parkinson's.
"It's not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination but it does effect the nerves in your body.
"It's like you'll have a good day, then a good day and then a really bad day."
Parkin 2 cannot be cured, but treatments are available to minimise symptoms — although it is steadily degenerative.
Experts say the variety Ozzy has is one of the slowest developing types — but the long-term prognosis varies significantly between cases.
Sharon, 67, has since thanked fans for their "outpouring of love" following the shock announcement.
Appearing on The Talk, she said: "So I have a second family. I don't only have one, I have two. And just to have all this outpouring of positive reaction from everyone that watches the show, and our friends, it's heartwarming."
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