Ozzy Osbourne‘s final memoir, Last Rites, is set to be posthumously released later this year. Find all the details below.
As Consequence reports, the book will be published via Grand Central Publishing – a division of Hachette Book Group – on October 7. You can pre-order it here.
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The forthcoming title is described as the “shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy’s descent into hell”, with the Prince Of Darkness detailing the health issues he’d faced in recent years.
Osbourne also “reflects on his extraordinary life and career, including his marriage to wife Sharon” and “what it took for him to get back onstage for the triumphant ‘Back To The Beginning’” farewell concert with Black Sabbath earlier this month.
A description adds: “Unflinching, brutally honest, but surprisingly life-affirming, Last Rites demonstrates once again why Ozzy has transcended his status as ‘The Godfather of Metal’ and ‘The Prince of Darkness’ to become a modern-day folk hero and national treasure.”
In a statement about Last Rites, Osbourne explained: “People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I’m like, fuck no.
“If I’d been clean and sober, I wouldn’t be Ozzy. If I’d done normal, sensible things, I wouldn’t be Ozzy. Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can’t complain. I’ve been all around the world. Seen a lot of things. I’ve done good… and I’ve done bad.”
He concluded: “But right now, I’m not ready to go anywhere.”
The Black Sabbath frontman and legendary soloist died yesterday (Tuesday July 22), aged 76. It came shortly after Osbourne took to the stage for his final-ever live shows at Sabbath’s huge ‘Back To The Beginning’ event in Birmingham on July 5. The gig was live-streamed globally, with a cinema release scheduled for next year.
Announcing Osbourne’s passing, his family wrote: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.
“We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Tributes have since poured in from across the music world, including posts from Osbourne’s former bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler. “So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston,” the latter wrote, adding: “Love you.”
Other major artists to have paid their respects include Elton John, Yungblud, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Jack White and many more. Additionally, the likes of Coldplay, Alice Cooper, Ghost and Gojira have dedicated performances to Osbourne, as fans shared footage and memories from the artist’s final live appearances.
Elsewhere, social media users have been flooding platforms with humorous clips of the Prince Of Darkness in the beloved ’00s reality series The Osbournes. Meanwhile, gamers have been remembering his iconic advert for PlayStation’s virtual reality headset, the PSVR2.
A bizarre tribute to Osbourne saw The Alamo Cenotaph recall the time he urinated on the monument in the early ’80s while wearing Sharon’s dress.
Proceeds from the ‘Back To The Beginning’ concert were split equally among Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acom Children’s Hospice.
