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Yiiikes.
Beastie Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, and Trent Reznor will not appear at this year’s SXSW due to coronavirus...
All three were supposed to be participating in the film portion of the festival, but have decided to back out due to coronavirus concerns.
Beasties, Ozzy and Trent Reznor (and Atticus Ross) were scheduled to participate in the film portion of the festival; Beastie Boys were set to discuss their upcoming Spike Jonze-directed documentary Beastie Boys Story, Ozzy was scheduled to promote his own doc Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, and Reznor and Ross were meant to be in charge of a keynote speech on HBO’s Watchmen series, that they scored.
Beastie Boys and Reznor and Ross are pulling out of SXSW by default. WarnerMedia, the company that owns HBO and therefore its Watchmen series, withdrew from the festival. Apple, which is releasing Beastie Boys Story, has also pulled out of SXSW. Both companies have cited the threat of coronavirus as the impetus for cancellation.
Osbourne is withdrawing from SXSW independently. Outside of the coronavirus threat, Osbourne has faced recent health problems following his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Last month, Osbourne canceled his 2020 tour behind his recent studio album Ordinary Man. Osbourne cited health issues upon the cancellation, and stated that he would soon undergo treatment.