What to know about Parkinson’s disease after Ozzy Osbourne’s death – CTV
July 23, 2025
Heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne died this week at 76, just weeks after his farewell show and about five years after announcing he had Parkinson’s disease.
Here’s what to know about the disease:
What is Parkinson’s?
Parkinson’s is a neurologic disease that robs people of control over their movements. It typically starts with tremors and is characterized by slow movement, a shuffling gait, stiff limbs, balance problems and slurred speech.
Who gets it?
About one million Americans are living with Parkinson’s, and 10 million people worldwide, the Parkinson’s Foundation. estimates. It usually appears after age 60, although sometimes it can develop before age 50.
What causes Parkinson’s?
The exact cause isn’t known, but Parkinson’s develops when cells that produce one of the brain’s chemical messengers, called dopamine, begin to deteriorate and die.
Dopamine transports signals to parts of the brain that control movement. Parkinson’s symptoms appear after enough dopamine-producing cells die that there’s too little of this neurotransmitter in the brain.
