Ozzy OSbourne Ordinary Man cover art

Ozzy Osbourne cancels SXSW appearance over coronavirus threat

Ozzy Osbourne has cancelled his scheduled appearance at SXSW 2020 due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. A “featured speaker,” he was to have taken part in a conversation with Jim Norton, joined by his son, Jack Osbourne, at the festival, supporting Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, the new documentary about him that’s set to premiere there.

Ozzy joins Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily Gordon, and many others, as well as a growing number of high profile companies, including Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and Netflix, in pulling out of SXSW. The festival is going on anyway despite the cancellations.

At 71, Ozzy’s age and Parkinson’s diagnosis place him among the populations most vulnerable to COVID-19. He cancelled his North American tour last month so he could seek treatment for medical issues. Ordinary Man, his first album in ten years, came out last month as well.