Ozzy Osbourne talks horror of pus-filled 'giant thumb'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ozzy Osbourne has gone into detail about the recent hand injury that caused the postponement of the final four dates of the US leg of his 'No More Tours II" tour.

The Sabbath frontman tells Rolling Stone how his thumb blew up to ten times it's normal size - he was diagnosed with a Staph infection, which can also cause blood poisoning and toxic shock syndrome – before detailing the surgical procedure than took place to quell the ailment.

"You put your thumb in front of your face on your right hand," says Osbourne. "They went in by the side of the nail on the left side for the flesh under the nail.

“They cut all this stuff out. Even with the numbing stuff, it was agony. It wasn’t pus, but it was the stage after pus, when it gets in the blood and goes in your body and fucking kills you.

"It may sound fucked up what I’m saying to you, but he was really concerned about checking my blood."

Osbourne is now on the mend, and has rescheduled the four postponed dates, but some issues remain.

"I haven’t been able to do anything,” he says. “I’m right-handed. You can’t wipe your own ass. And I didn’t have many fucking volunteers who would do it for me."

Last month, Osbourne was confirmed for next year's Download Australia festival.

Ozzy Osbourne No More Tours 2 UK and Ireland tour dates
Jan 30: Dublin 3Arena, Ireland
Feb 01: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, UK
Feb 03: Manchester Arena, UK
Feb 05: Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, UK
Feb 07: Glasgow SSE Hydro, UK
Feb 09: Birmingham Genting Arena, UK
Feb 11: London O2 Arena, UK

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.