Ozzy Osbourne says he was 'wiped out on pills'
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Ozzy Osbourne
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LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Rock star Ozzy Osbourne said he was "wiped out" on prescription medications when he gave his stupefied performances on his reality television show and in public, the Los Angeles Time reported Sunday.
The heavy metal musician who staggered through many episodes on MTV hit series "The Osbournes" told the newspaper that he took as many as 42 pills a day, including Valium, while being treated by a Beverly Hills doctor.
The rocker's dysfunctional image was treated lightly on the reality series which catapulted him and his family to new fame in recent years.
Neither Osbourne, 55, the former Black Sabbath front man, or the doctor was immediately available for comment on the report.
The newspaper quoted a lawyer for the doctor as saying "virtually every allegation" in its report was "inaccurate, incomplete, or... false."
British-born Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, said they fired the doctor in August after paying $650,000 in medical bills since June 2002.
"I was wiped out on pills," Osbourne told the newspaper. "I couldn't talk. I couldn't walk. I could barely stand up. I was lumbering about like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It got to the point where I was scared to close my eyes at night afraid I might not wake up."
Osbourne said he sought help from the doctor after developing a dependence on prescription narcotics, and that the doctor administered a 10-day detoxification program and prescribed a broad range of medications to alleviate anxiety and depression triggered by his wife being diagnosed with cancer.
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