BLACK SABBATH Drummer BILL WARD Reveals He Is Confined To Wheelchair: 'I'm Not In Retirement Or Ill Or Giving Up'

Bill Ward has revealed that he is now mostly confined to a wheelchair, nearly one year after the death of his longtime BLACK SABBATH bandmate Ozzy Osbourne.

The 78-year-old BLACK SABBATH drummer shared the health update with fans Wednesday (July 8),explaining that he was "making myself public and transparent" while insisting that he was "not in retirement".

Ward shared a photo of himself in a wheelchair, smiling as he posed in an all-black outfit while seated in the mobility device.

"Dear Friends, Fans, Families, and people I've not met yet, I'm announcing today somewhat sadly but nonetheless truthfully, that I've reached a place where publicly more and more I need to use a wheelchair, mostly in airports, or public events," Ward wrote on his social media. "I can still walk, let there be no doubt, but I can't walk very far without needing to rest, meaning I need to sit down. We started using the wheelchair about 18 months ago, mostly in airports.

"I became 78 years old on May 5th 2026. I was a long distance walker, I've walked in many different parts of the world, and I'm still a drummer. I can still play pretty good for 78 years old. My talents and ambitions, and my unyielding need to be artful, and to play drums, is still as strong as it was so many years ago now. I'm just saying if you see me in a wheelchair, I'm just catching a ride, I'm not in retirement or ill or giving up, or any of those thoughts that ignite when we see people in wheelchairs.

"I'm making myself public and transparent about my new transport, and letting you know I'm OK. If you see me in the airports or visiting friends in the music arenas or theatres say hi, I don't bite, I'll just look different, as pictured here.

"Much love to you all and I'll keep rocking until I'm dead.

"Rock forever and ever.

"And the secrets we hide, can be dangerous to our health, I'm letting transparency prevail, with love and progression."

The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — Ward, Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler — played its final concert last summer. Dubbed "Back To The Beginning", the charity show was held at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom on July 5, 2025.

After Osbourne's death, Ward shared an emotional tribute in which he said the legendary heavy metal singer is "forever in my heart."

"Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls, no, you're forever in my heart," Ward wrote.

"Deepest condolences to Sharon and all family members. RIP. Sincere regrets to all the fans. Never goodbye. Thank you forever."

"Accountable Beasts", Ward's first solo album in 18 years, was released in 2015 via iTunes. The CD featured Ward's drumming on seven of the album's nine tracks, as well as contributions from Bill's longtime collaborators Keith Lynch (guitar, keyboards),Paul Ill (bass) and Ronnie Ciago (drums),alongside drummer Walter Earl and an array of session singers, including Ward's daughter Emily.

Ward in May 2012 announced that he was declining to join his former SABBATH bandmates for its scheduled dates, as well as the recording of the new album, due to a contractual dispute. After SABBATH shot down producer Rick Rubin's suggestion to replace Ward with Ginger Baker (CREAM) ("I thought, 'Bloody hell?'" Iommi told Rolling Stone magazine. "I just couldn't see that.") for the LP recording sessions, Rick suggested RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.