Injured Osbourne is in good spirits, family says

British rock singer Ozzy Osbourne remained on a ventilator and in intensive care in a London hospital Thursday after his weekend all-terrain vehicle accident, but he seemed to be in good spirits, according to family members.

Osbourne’s son, Jack, took over as host for Thursday’s edition of his mother’s television talk show, “The Sharon Osbourne Show,” while she went to England to be with her husband. Jack Osbourne discussed his father’s accident, telling the audience, “I guess he thought he was Evel Knievel for about five minutes and broke half his body.”

He appeared to be feeling better because he had started moaning about the nurses, his daughter Kelly said Wednesday.

“He has been complaining about the nurses, so we know he’s all right,” said Kelly, who had just completed recording a duet with her father of “Changes,” by his old band Black Sabbath. “He gave me the thumbs-up and stuck his tongue out at me. He couldn’t talk because of the [ventilator] tube in his mouth, but he was able to mouth words. He told us that he loved us.”

Doctors have said that the process to take Osbourne, 55, off the ventilator could take several days.

“He is comfortable and stable,” a hospital spokesman said.

Asked about how the accident happened, Kelly said: “He was in a field and there was grass covering a hole and the bike went in the hole and fell on top of him.”

Osbourne, who has mellowed from the wild man of heavy rock to a comical star of MTV’s reality TV series “The Osbournes,” underwent emergency surgery after the crash at his English country estate.

Dick Jack, medical director of the hospital treating Osbourne, said: “He has made contact with the medical and nursing staff. He is fully aware of where he is and why he’s here.”

Osbourne first shot to fame in the 1970s as frontman of heavy metal band Black Sabbath.

His angry lyrics, stage stunts and images of evil earned the band cult status, and he gained notoriety by biting off a bat’s head at a concert in the United States.

Osbourne later said he thought it was a toy.

Tour manager Bill Greer said members of the Osbourne family were moved by the flood of flowers, messages and cards.

“It really means a lot to them and touches their heart that so many people have such concern about Ozzy’s condition,” he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.