Ozzy Osbourne's final memoirs have become a major publishing and musical event. Originally titled Last Rites , and published in Spain as Últimos ritos , the legendary Black Sabbath vocalist delivers his definitive farewell, blending devastating confessions, pitch-black humor, and disarming sincerity.
In these pages, the so-called Prince of Darkness revisits his final years marked by illness, recalls key moments in his solo career and with Black Sabbath, and pays tribute to fallen friends like Lemmy Kilmister, Bon Scott, and John Bonham. The result is a brutally honest account that reveals Ozzy at his most human, fragile, and, at the same time, stubbornly vital.
What are Ozzy Osbourne's final memoirs: Last Rites
The book Last Rites is Ozzy Osbourne's final autobiographical project, completed shortly before his death. In Spain, it is being released under the title Últimos ritos and is presented as the definitive conclusion to the personal and artistic story of the legendary singer, a key figure in the creation and consolidation of heavy metal.
The Spanish edition of Last Rites will be published on January 8th, amidst great anticipation among rock fans and, more generally, any reader interested in a life that seems straight out of an extreme film. The text was finished just weeks before the musician's death, giving it the character of a living testament that pervades every chapter.
In these memoirs, Ozzy recounts with stark honesty the health problems that hit him hard during his final years: successive operations, daily life with Parkinson's disease, injuries that resulted in almost complete paralysis, and the obligation to completely abandon life on the road and concerts.
Alongside the physical aspect, the book delves into the emotional sphere: the role of his family , the weight of his marriage to Sharon Osbourne, the guilt for past mistakes, the fear of death and, above all, an idea that is repeated like a mantra: even if he could, he would not change anything he has experienced, however self-destructive his path may have been.
The album was written in collaboration with journalist Chris Ayres , with whom Ozzy had previously worked. The style maintains Ozzy's classic sound: blunt when necessary, direct, with a dark humor that lightens even the most tense passages. Critics and audiences alike have highlighted precisely this lack of sentimentality: there's no self-pity, but neither is there any heroic posturing.
A life on the edge: illness, fall and resilience
At sixty-nine , Ozzy was experiencing a professional peak that could have been the crowning achievement of his career. He was immersed in a triumphant farewell tour, filling stadiums across the globe and receiving rave reviews for his physical condition and his performance on stage.
However, in just a few weeks, everything fell apart. What began as a finger infection spiraled into a chain of medical complications that landed him in the hospital, led to the cancellation of his tour, and ultimately resulted in near-total paralysis from the neck down. In Last Rites , Ozzy recounts this descent with a biting tone, sparing no detail or drama.
The narrative of this period blends scenes of extreme physical pain with sarcastic observations about doctors, hospitals, endless rehabilitation, and the frustration of someone who had always been defined by his live energy. The contrast between the guy who used to sleep with the audience in the 70s and the man who needs help getting out of bed is one of the emotional cornerstones of the book.
Throughout these pages, Ozzy also reflects on the impact of Parkinson's disease on his daily life: tremors, loss of independence, fear of becoming a burden, and the feeling that, for the first time, he can't climb out of this hole with just a rebellious attitude and rock and roll. Despite everything, he insists he remains grateful to be alive so long after all the crazy things he's done.
There's a particularly poignant moment when he explains how these ailments forced him to completely abandon performing . For someone who has spent decades touring the world, this renunciation isn't just professional; it's almost an amputation of his identity. Nevertheless, Ozzy recounts it without self-pity, as if he accepts that, in a way, he's spent his entire life defying death, and now it has finally come to settle the score.
Marriage to Sharon and the family refuge
A fundamental part of Last Rites is dedicated to Ozzy's relationship with Sharon Osbourne . Far from being limited to an idealized love story, the book portrays a turbulent marriage, full of ups and downs, betrayals, monumental fights, and unbreakable reconciliations, but which ultimately becomes the pillar that keeps Ozzy going.
Ozzy doesn't hold back when explaining how Sharon saved his life during his darkest times. From the period when he was sinking into alcohol and drugs after being kicked out of Black Sabbath, to his final battles with illness, she appears as the one who pulls him back when he's ready to give up, the one who makes tough decisions, and the one who bears the consequences of his chaos.
The book recounts Sharon's first visit to Ozzy in a West Hollywood apartment , during his downward spiral after leaving Sabbath. He could barely stand, surrounded by beer cans, completely lost and with no future plans. Sharon, who was then working for her father, the feared manager Don Arden, offered to represent him if she could bring some order to his life.
That moment is presented as a decisive turning point: from being on the verge of being cornered forever, Ozzy now has someone willing to take a chance on him. Throughout the memoirs, the idea that without Sharon he would be dead is repeated . It's not a random statement: Ozzy himself supports it with specific episodes, from overdoses to key business decisions, in which she was his anchor.
Family, in general, occupies a prominent place in these final memoirs. Ozzy speaks of the role of his children, the guilt he felt for having been an absent father during many periods, and his desire, in his later years, to repair emotional damage and spend more time with his loved ones. This desire to return to his roots is also reflected in his joy at returning to Aston, in Birmingham, the place where it all began.
Black Sabbath, the origin of heavy metal and the myth of the Prince of Darkness
Another important section of the book looks back to the days of Black Sabbath and the birth of heavy metal as we know it. Ozzy recounts how the band sought to sound darker, heavier, and more unsettling than any of their contemporaries, both musically and lyrically, tackling themes like Satan, demons, and death when almost no one else dared to.
In his memoirs, the singer admits that, for him, the first truly heavy song was " You Really Got Me " by The Kinks, whose riff blew his mind when he was just a kid and marked the beginning of his obsession with music. He spent so much time listening to the single that he had to buy it several times because he literally wore it out, much to his father's despair.
Sabbath's first album, released in 1970 and titled Black Sabbath , was deliberately conceived to be more brutal than anything they had done before. The somber sound, the lyrics about sinister figures, and the almost horror-movie atmosphere genuinely frightened some of the audience. Many people attended church and firmly believed in the devil, so Sabbath's songs were interpreted as more than just fiction.
That impact led to them being labeled the inventors of heavy metal , and Ozzy himself was given the nickname "Prince of Darkness." He maintains that the satanic band image got out of hand: for many, Sabbath only made macabre music, overlooking the irony and theatrical elements. It was even said that Ozzy's nickname was inspired by a line from John Milton's Paradise Lost , although he readily admits that he had no idea who Milton was.
In Last Rites, it's clear that Ozzy views this myth-making process with a mixture of pride and detachment. He's aware that the dark aesthetic and controversies helped him make a name for himself, but also that for years he was reduced to an almost caricatured figure, ignoring the music and the effort behind each album and tour.
From the abyss after Sabbath to rebirth with Blizzard of Ozz
After being kicked out of Black Sabbath in 1979, Ozzy described a period when his life seemed to have hit rock bottom. His former bandmates considered him "finished," trapped by his own excesses. The singer retreated to a small apartment in a building called Le Parc in West Hollywood, where he spent his days drinking nonstop and shut in the dark.
In this section of the memoirs, the feeling of defeat is absolute. Ozzy recounts how he resorted to ordering alcohol for delivery , with the blinds drawn, the air conditioning blasting, and the fireplace lit simultaneously, because that absurd mix of cold and heat reminded him of his home in England. Meanwhile, his wife at the time had stayed behind with the children, waiting for him to find a job that would prevent the family's financial ruin.
The pressure wasn't just financial. At 31, Ozzy saw himself as too old to start over, fearing he'd end up spending his remaining savings and taking a construction job just to survive. In his mind, his artistic career was likely over.
Sharon's intervention changed everything. Working for Don Arden, she shows up at his apartment, tells him to bring some order to the chaos, and offers to represent him. Ozzy, drunk, in his underwear, and surrounded by filth, can hardly believe what he's hearing. From there begins the journey to Blizzard of Ozz , the album that would redefine his solo career.
The memoirs devote considerable space to the creation and release of Blizzard of Ozz in the United States. The album had already been released in the UK, and a lot was riding on the American edition, under the Epic label, part of CBS Records. Ozzy, feeling pressured and nervous, resorted to the only thing he knew to soothe his demons: drinking himself to excess before the big meeting with the record label's marketing department.
Pigeons, bats, and a reputation forged in bites
One of the most famous and scandalous episodes of Ozzy's career features prominently in these latest memoirs: the story of the doves and the bat. It all started with the idea of ​​staging a dramatic scene at a meeting with Epic executives. Someone bought two white doves, and the plan was for Ozzy to release them out the window while saying something like "peace" or "rock and roll."
Ozzy himself admits that the plan seemed like a load of rubbish to him, partly because pigeons kept getting his jacket pockets dirty. But Sharon insisted that this was his chance to stand out among the rappers, singer-songwriters, and other artists who would be presenting to the record label's marketing team that same day.
At the meeting, after listening to songs like "Crazy Train ," Ozzy sits on an executive's lap and, as planned, takes out one of the doves and utters the designated word. The room reacts with a collective "oooh." At that moment, Ozzy, in the midst of a 36-hour bender, decides to go a step further: he bites the dove's head off, sending blood and feathers flying in front of horrified cameras and executives.
Chaos reigns: screams, retching, calls to security and the police. Armed guards burst into the room and throw Ozzy and Sharon out of the building, while the second pigeon is left fluttering around the offices. Even so, paradoxically, the scandal becomes a brutal promotional tool for Blizzard of Ozz . Overnight, everyone is talking about that lunatic Englishman who eats live pigeons.
Ozzy himself insists that, in retrospect, he deeply regrets what he did. Today, he declares himself unable to tolerate cruelty to animals and maintains that the image of that dove is always with him. However, he accepts that it is part of his story and that, although it pains him to admit it, it contributed to solidifying the legend surrounding him.
From then on, the North American tour was conceived almost as a controlled freak show. At the concerts, Ozzy's crew would throw buckets full of entrails and butchery scraps into the audience, playing up the image of a dangerous madman he had cultivated. What no one expected was that the fans would start playing along, throwing all sorts of things at the stage, some more dangerous than they seemed.
In Des Moines, Iowa, during a concert at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, someone threw what Ozzy thought was a toy bat onto the stage . Without thinking twice, he picked it up and repeated the scene: he bit the animal. Only then did he realize it wasn't made of rubber. This episode became one of the most widely circulated and distorted anecdotes of his career, further fueling the myth of the Prince of Darkness biting the heads of animals on stage.
Friendships, farewells, and the last concert
Beyond the spectacle, Last Rites devotes many pages to Ozzy's relationships with other rock legends . The book is filled with recollections of wild nights, joint tours, and intimate conversations with figures such as Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), Slash, Keith Moon, Bon Scott, and John Bonham, among others.
The memoirs focus particularly on the final moments shared with Lemmy , who passed away in 2015. Ozzy recounts their last encounters, marked by the Motörhead frontman's declining health, but also by an unbreakable camaraderie. More than morbid anecdotes, what he conveys is a profound respect for someone he considered a brother in arms, both in rock and in life.
The book also explores his connections with musicians from later generations, such as Slash and Zakk Wylde, who symbolize the bridge between classic metal and the new wave. Ozzy is proud to have influenced so many artists, but without taking more credit than necessary: ​​he maintains the attitude of someone who never quite believed in his own legend.
One of the most moving chapters recounts the Back To The Beginning concert , held on July 5th in Birmingham , Black Sabbath's hometown. That show was conceived as their grand farewell performance, featuring the original Sabbath lineup and supporting acts such as Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Alice In Chains, and Mastodon.
Ozzy describes that concert as an intensely symbolic ending: returning to the city where it all began, surrounded by friends and colleagues, to say a conscious and thoughtful goodbye. After that night, he accepts that he will never perform live again. A few weeks later, on July 22, he passes away from the health problems he had been battling for years, thus closing a life and artistic circle that the book helps us understand.
A legacy that transcends metal and a voice that has no regrets
Throughout Last Rites , one idea is repeated frequently: people ask Ozzy if, given the chance to start over with his current knowledge , he would change anything. His answer is emphatic: no. If he had been a responsible, sober, and prudent person, he wouldn't have been Ozzy Osbourne. For better or for worse, the complete package of mistakes, excesses, and successes is what defines him.
The musician takes a candid look back at his moments of glory and his most devastating failures, acknowledging that his life has been a brutal rollercoaster. He has traveled the world, met incredible people, enjoyed enormous success, and also suffered painful setbacks. In these memoirs, he makes it clear that, despite all he has lost, he still feels grateful to be alive and to be with his family until the very end.
Critics and readers have noted that the book is brave, raw, and surprisingly inspiring. Ozzy's approach, far from trying to polish his image, is to lay everything bare: the drugs, the alcohol, the uncontrollable behavior, and how he nearly destroyed everything he loved. At the same time, he shows how he was able to rebuild himself time and again, supported by Sharon and his band.
The text also helps to understand why he has managed to transcend his own nicknames of "Godfather of Metal" and "Prince of Darkness." Through his memoirs, a figure emerges who, beyond the diabolical stagecraft and lurid anecdotes, has become a popular icon, someone whose story resonates with metalheads as well as people who have never heard one of his albums in their lives.
With Last Rites , Ozzy Osbourne concludes his first-person account with a blend of brutal honesty, twisted humor, and unexpected humanity. From inventing heavy metal with Black Sabbath to doves, a bat, wild tours, emotional ruin, Sharon's rescue, and the complex path of illness, the book leaves a clear impression: it has been a wild, unique, and profoundly human journey , told by someone who, even on the brink of death, refuses to apologize for living life his way.