Ozzy Osbourne ends 29-year Grammy drought after stepping back from touring

Ozzy Osbourne has ended his near 29-year awards drought at the Grammys - less than a week after announcing he is stepping back from touring amid poor health.

The 74-year-old ex-Black Sabbath singer secured the gong for best rock album for his 13th solo record, Patient Number 9, released in September last year, during a pre-ceremony event.

He also won the prize for best metal performance for the single Degradation Rules featuring his Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi.

Osbourne, who was not present at the ceremony, passed on a message through his producer Andrew Watt, who said the rocker had given him two messages for the audience.

Watt also paid tribute to their "unbelievable" collaborators on the record, including late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who co-wrote the song Parasite.

He also paid tribute to guitarist Jeff Beck, who featured on the title track, as one of the "greatest" guitarists of all time.

Osbourne's only previous win at the Grammys came almost 29 years ago when I Don't Want To Change The World from Live & Loud won best metal performance.

The wins come after Osbourne confirmed earlier this week that he is pausing touring "for now" following extensive spinal surgery as he is "not physically capable" of the travel involved.

Osbourne had a fall at home in 2019 which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003, stopping his No More Tours 2 shows from going ahead later this year in Europe and the UK.

Previously, the tour has been rescheduled several times over the last four years on separate occasions to illness, the Covid pandemic and logistical issues.