OZZY OSBOURNE Says He Thinks About Dying Now That He's 70

Ozzy Osbourne says that he's alive thanks to pure luck, according to a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine. The BLACK SABBATH singer has battled pneumonia and an upper respiratory infection recently, forcing him to cancel tours and spend weeks in the hospital, but the Prince of Darkness continues to stay above ground.

Ozzy explained: "If you'd said to me years ago, 'How long do you think you'll last?' I would've said, 'I'll be dead by 40!' Luck has shadowed me all the way. If you'd read a news story that said, 'Ozzy Osbourne has been found dead in his hotel room!', you wouldn't go, 'Oh, really?' would you? You'd say, 'Well, obviously!'"

Ozzy has told The Pulse Of Radio before that he's been spooked by the number of musicians who have died in recent years. "I mean, of late everyone's dropping dead," he said. "I'm only hoping my number don't come up soon. You hear me talking, I'm lucky I'm not one of the dead ones, 'cause I used to — I mean, when there's drugs involved or alcohol, I should have died a thousand times.

Asked if he thinks about dying, Ozzy told Metal Hammer: "Yeah, I do think about it. It's getting close to the fucking end now. But turning 70 really makes you aware of the phenomenal change in the world. It's crazy what's going on. Everything's sped up to a ridiculous level now. You can do more in one hour than you could do in a week before. I do think that mankind is moving way too fast."

Ozzy continues to recuperate from his recent bout of pneumonia and upper respiratory issues. He does not have any other gigs booked until May 24, when he is scheduled to launch a North American run at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma.