Even as Black Sabbath continue their final tour ever, until this past Sunday, it had been a relatively quiet week for Ozzy Osbourne.  Then came news that after over 33 years of marriage, Ozzy and his wife/manager Sharon were calling it quits over an alleged affair with a hairdresser. Then yesterday, amid rumors that he might be missing, a press release went out stating that he had an event with Corey Taylor on Thursday. Amid all the talk about the Osbournes’ and their alleged split, some tabloids were assuming the worst, that the Prince of Darkness might be off on a bender even though he’d been sober pretty much since the last time Sharon threw him out in 2013. Yesterday, Ozzy finally broke his silence to E! News to deny that he’s going off the rails:

“I have been sober for three and a quarter years,” Ozzy shared with E! News exclusively. “I have not touched drugs or alcohol in that time. Any reports that I am not sober are completely inaccurate.”

When he was finally “found” yesterday, photographers spotted him out for a walk with one of his dogs, wedding ring still on his finger. Apparently, he’s staying with an unnamed family member for the time being.  It’s good that he’s remaining sober through all of this, but he probably knows he has to. There’s a lot of money and expectations on the line for Black Sabbath’s remaining tour dates, and whatever he’s got up his sleeve for Thursday is probably going to require him to be in good shape mentally and physically.

[photo: Splash News]