On July 22, 2025, the famous British singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne passed away due to a heart attack, just five years after announcing his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), which contributed to his death. Ever since then, the awareness and need for a cure for Parkinson’s disease has increased significantly. 

The search started in 1817 when James Parkinson published An Essay on the Shaking Palsy. This first formally documented the condition, and while symptoms of the disease had been mentioned in ancient texts, this essay provided the first clear medical description. In the late 1800s Jean-Martin Charcot separated the disease from multiple sclerosis and named it “Maladie de Parkinson”. Throughout the 1900s, more discoveries about the actual disease were made, including in 1967 when Hoehn and Yahr defined the five stages of progression based on motor symptoms. The last ten years have been more of the same research, with the focus shifting towards the early non-motor phases before traditional diagnosis. 

Ozzy Osbourne is not the only one who has died of PD; in fact, the disease causes over 300,000 deaths each year. Beyond that, more than 10 million people are estimated to be living with the disease. 

“I had a close family friend who died almost two years ago because of Parkinson’s disease. She was diagnosed when she was 40 and died in her 80s, so she lived with it for over 40 years,” an anonymous student at Miramonte said. “It was really hard to see somebody that I cared about suffer from the disease, especially in the last few years of her life.”

The main signs for Parkinson’s disease are shown in a difference in motor skills, however many signs can be non-motor related as well. Early signs of diagnosis include tremors or stiffness. Slow movement, rigidity, and balance issues are also symptoms of the disease. The main non-motor symptoms include depression, cognitive issues, constipation, hallucinations, or low blood pressure. An article on the Stanford Medicine website states that it is very important to know that not everyone has all the possible symptoms. 

“Symptoms, symptom intensity, and symptom progression will vary by individual,” Stanford Medicine said.

The person with PD for the longest time had it for 49 years, however most people live anywhere between 10-20+ years with it, but it also depends on the age of diagnosis. 

Over many decades of research on PD, one thing has become very clear: as agricultural industries have boomed and chemicals and toxins have been increasing all around us, the rates of Parkinson’s disease have increased significantly. There is growing evidence that the disease is linked to a range of pesticides and industrial chemicals, some examples being trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE). These chemicals are found in dry cleaning, and the rates of PD have increased with each person who is exposed to these chemicals. The overall increase in greenhouse gases and air pollution in the last few decades also align with the overall increase of Parkinson’s patients. Along with TCE, PCE, and air pollution, pesticides in our food and industrial solvents in our water are also large contributors to the increase of PD. 

“Parkinson’s didn’t run in her family, so we really don’t know why she got it,” anonymous student said. 

While some experts do think these are main causes of the sudden increased rates of the disease, others are skeptical of the direct connection. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation posted a review last year about the connection between Parkinson’s and pesticides. They concluded by saying “there is currently insufficient evidence to demonstrate a direct causal association with paraquat exposure and the increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.” 

assuming that chemicals and pollution are directly connected to the disease, however the stories of people and celebrities who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after realizing they spent years drinking dirty water or being surrounded by toxic chemicals. 

There is still no cure for the disease, but research has shifted towards disease-modifying therapies to slow or halt the progression. Beyond that, researchers are also testing drugs that target the underlying causes of Parkinson’s. One hope is that cases like Ozzy Osbourne and other celebrities who are open about their diagnosis can help raise awareness and support for more research to find a cure.