SAN DIEGO — Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne is set to make his debut at San Diego's Comic-Con International next week. It will be the first public appearance by the 73-year-old heavy-metal vocal legend since before he underwent major neck and back surgery in Los Angeles in mid-June.
Osbourne's July 22 Comic-Con debut at the San Diego Convention Center will be a joint appearance with legendary comic-book maverick Todd McFarlane, who in 1992 created the popular "Spawn" series.
McFarlane has made key contributions in recent decades to Marvel Comics' "Spider-Man" and "Incredible Hulk." He recently directed the video for the title track of Osbourne's upcoming new album, "Patient No. 9."
Osbourne and McFarlane will be at Comic-Con to unveil the cover of a limited-edition Osbourne comic book. It will be included in some of the packages being released in conjunction with "Patient Number 9." Osbourne will also participate in a July 22 signing at the Stern Pinball/Rebellion Republic booth at Comic-Con.
Due out Sept. 9, "Patient Number 9" is just the second new Osbourne album since 2010. Guests on the 13-song release include guitar greats Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Tony Iommi and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready. Osbourne and Iommi are co-founders of pioneering English heavy-metal band Black Sabbath, whose debut album was released in 1970.
Osbourne and McFarlane previously collaborated on two Osbourne action figures in 1999 and 2004. Alas, Osbourne has not seen much action in recent years. His most recent concert was in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2018.
He had originally been scheduled to bring his "No More Tours 2" farewell concert to San Diego in late 2018 at what is now North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. The show was postponed, along with other tour dates, after he suffered a hand surgery infection.
In April 2019, Osbourne canceled all his tour dates for that year, including his July 2019 San Diego makeup concert, to recover from an injury he sustained in a fall while recovering from a bout of pneumonia. The fall, which aggravated injuries he suffered in a 2003 ATV accident, required him to undergo surgery in March 2019.
In January 2020, Osbourne disclosed he has Parkinson's disease. In February of that year, he canceled his 2020 North American farewell tour outright. According to his website, he is scheduled to kick off his postponed European tour on May 3, 2023, in Finland.
———
