Ozzy 'stable' after quad bike accident

Wild rock legend Ozzy Osbourne could be kept in intensive care for “several days” following his quad bike accident, his doctor said tonight.

The singer has been on a ventilator since the crash at his Buckinghamshire estate last night, but his condition was described as “stable” and “comfortable”.

Osbourne, 55, had emergency surgery after suffering a cracked vertebra in his neck, eight broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a damaged blood vessel.

Circulation in his left arm has now been restored after damage to a blood vessel caused by pressure from his broken collar bone, but he is unable to speak because he has a tube in his mouth.

Tonight Osbourne is continuing to receive treatment at the NHS Wrexham Park Hospital in Slough and has received visits from his daughter Kelly and wife Sharon, who flew into Heathrow from Los Angeles this afternoon.

The singer has also received several bunches of flowers from well-wishers, while security staff remain in place at the hospital’s entrances to keep away over-enthusiastic fans.

Wrexham Park Hospital medical director, Dr Dick Jack, said doctors treating the former Black Sabbath frontman were “very satisfied” with his progress.

“We have begun, slowly begun, the process of getting him off the ventilator.

“Now this can take several days so there won’t be any major changes in his condition for the next 24 hours.

“The fractured vertebra in his neck, we are quite convinced that this is not going to be the source of any danger but before we can take off the hard collar that he is wearing we are waiting for confirmation from Oxford,” he said.

Dr Jack, who would not reveal details of the circumstances of the accident, added: “His progress is steady; he is stable, he is comfortable and satisfactory but its going to be slow and I don’t expect any major changes certainly for 24 hours.”

Osbourne was in the UK to promote his latest single – Changes – a duet with his daughter Kelly.

Following the accident, bookmakers William Hill have slashed the odds on the song becoming Christmas number one.

Spokeswoman Jennie Prest said: “We were offering 50-1 about Ozzy and Kelly topping the charts, but that was snapped up yesterday with punters placing bets of up to £50 a time.

“The pair have been backed down to 16-1 fourth favourites and if they have as much support with people buying the record it is a real contender.”

Osbourne’s tour manager Bill Greer confirmed that Sharon and Kelly had both been to see Ozzy in hospital this afternoon.

He said: “Sharon and Kelly both did go in to see him. He is still on a ventilator so he couldn’t communicate with them but I know they spent some time just talking with him and being by his side.

“This really is a difficult time for the rest of the family and at this point Sharon really doesn’t feel able to come and talk to you directly.

“She really wanted me to wish thanks to everybody, all the well-wishers for all the messages, all the flowers, all the words of goodwill to Ozzy. It certainly means a lot to her and it means a lot to Ozzy as well.”

Monday’s quad bike accident is the latest dramatic twist in a turbulent life lived firmly in the public eye.

After growing up in a working class family of eight in a two-bedroom house in Birmingham, Osbourne shot to fame in the 1970s as the front man of heavy metal group Black Sabbath.

There were wild stunts, images of death and evil and furious lyrics.

After launching a solo career his notoriety soared further when he bit the head off a bat on stage in Des Moines, Iowa.

Besides earning a reputation as one of the world’s wildest rock stars, the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness had to face his own demons through an ongoing battle against addiction to drink and drugs.

His fame found a new lease of life two years ago as the star of the fly-on-the-wall reality TV show The Osbournes, which turned his dysfunctional family into international household names.