Ozzy Osbourne’s Son Jack Checks Into Rehab
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s 17-year-old son, Jack, has checked into a Los Angeles-area rehabilitation center for treatment of drug and alcohol abuse, the family’s spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
It was not disclosed exactly how the teenage co-star of MTV’s reality hit “The Osbournes” landed in rehab, but Ozzy Osbourne has confronted his son about his drinking and drug use on the show and has acknowledged catching Jack with marijuana on several occasions.
According to family publicist Lisa Vega, Jack entered the residential detox and rehab facility last week after confiding in both parents, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, that he needed help.
“Not very many 17-year-olds have the wherewithal to realize that they have a problem, nor do they have the relationship with their parents that they can go to their parents and say they have a problem, and that is what occurred here,” Vega told Reuters. “Sharon and Ozzy are very supportive of his decision and are very proud of him that he has the gumption to make a change.”
The family went public after the syndicated TV show “Entertainment Tonight” broke the story Monday night, reporting that the teen MTV star, clad in a white patient smock, had been seen at the rehab center with his parents in what an eyewitness called “a very emotional moment” for the family.
Vega appealed to the media to maintain some modicum of respect for the very public family’s privacy. “He (Jack) is trying to get his life together … and he’s not being given a chance to do that in private.”
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are themselves no strangers to substance abuse, having both acknowledged excessive alcohol consumption in the past. Ozzy also has admitted to a previous cocaine addiction as well as to dabbling in heroin and other drugs over the years.
Ozzy has said he swore off drugs and booze in the early 1990s, though he admitted falling off the wagon last year when Sharon, the family’s manager and matriarch, was diagnosed with cancer. Her illness is now in remission.
“The Osbournes” is slated to return for a third season in June with 10 new episodes produced earlier this year. Soon after its debut in the spring of 2002, the fly-on-the-wall show became MTV’s biggest hit, earned an Emmy Award and turned the raucous, foul-mouthed family into overnight pop culture stars.
Jack’s 18-year-old sister, Kelly, has sought to parlay her newfound fame into a recording career, while her brother has worked as a talent scout for Epic Records. He also had become a frequent denizen of the Los Angeles party and nightclub scene.
MTV has not revealed plans for the show beyond its upcoming third season, but a syndicated talk show hosted by Sharon Osbourne is slated to premiere in September.
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