As concerns over the spread of COVID-19 and the coronavirus grow, Ozzy Osbourne has announced that he will no longer be attending the South by South West festival, which was set to coincide with the premiere of A&E’s Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne. The festival is set to launch on March 13th and, while the Film Festival portion of the conference is still screening a variety of programs over the course of the event, Osbourne is only the latest to pull out of the conference, as Netflix, HBO, Starz, Amazon, and Lionsgate have all confirmed that they won’t have a presence in Austin, Texas.
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“Following recent cancellations by major corporations, artists, record companies, and studios because of the ongoing threat of the coronavirus, Ozzy Osbourne has likewise decided to cancel his upcoming appearance at SXSW,” a statement from his rep reads, per EW.
Given the international recognition of the festival and it attracting more than 150,000 guests, it’s easy to see why there would be concerns over the potential spread of the virus. While Chicago’s C2E2 unfolded last weekend with minimal concerns over the virus, SXSW’s international appeal and next weekend’s Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, where there have been a number of confirmed cases of the virus, resulted in both gatherings seeing setbacks.
Times have been tough for Osbourne and his fans over the past year, as a number of public appearances were cancelled last year due to illness. Earlier this year, the performer revealed that he was battling Parkinson’s disease and he cancelled his 2020 world tour.
“I’m so thankful that everyone has been patient because I’ve had a shit year,” Osbourne shared in a statement. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get to Switzerland for treatment until April and the treatment takes six [to] eight weeks. I don’t want to start a tour, and then cancel shows at the last minute, as it’s just not fair to the fans. I’d rather they get a refund now and when I do the North American tour down the road, everyone who bought a ticket for these shows will be the first ones in line to purchase tickets at that time.”
Stay tuned for details on South by Southwest and events that will be impacted by the coronavirus.
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