He was diagnosed with lymphoma in December last year and told fans
the news a few weeks later. His cancer treatment forced the cancellation
of Sabbath’s highly-anticipated reunion tour, with their appearance at
this summer’s Download festival the only date to remain.
Iommi admits he’s not out of the woods yet – but says his health
battle hasn’t got in the way of working on the band’s new album after
singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler moved the production
operation from the United States to England.
He reports: “I’ve had the last dose of chemotherapy so hopefully my
body will start to get back to normal soon. The steroids were the worst.
I’ve now got three weeks of radiotherapy coming up, which I’m told can
be very tiring, so we’ll see.
“A big thanks to Ozzy and Geezer for coming over to England. It was a
big incentive for me – we managed to work most days and have some great
new tracks.
“And, importantly, thanks again for your kind messages. Hope to be seeing you soon.”
Sabbath’s reunion with Osbourne came after Heaven and Hell frontman
Ronnie James Dio succumbed to stomach cancer in 2010. The band had
planned to work with original drummer Bill Ward, but have been unable to
reach a contractual agreement with him. He recently underlined that
negotiations were not complete and he remained hopeful of a positive
outcome.
The band’s first new album since 1995, and their first with Osbourne since 1978, is due for release later this year.
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