Ozzy Osbourne Writes Final Memoir, ‘Last Rites’

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Ozzy Osbourne isn’t going out with a whimper. The star, who orchestrated one final, celebratory stage appearance with a solo performance and reunion with his Black Sabbath mates on July 5, 2025, has announced his final memoir, cleverly titled Last Rites. The 320-page book, from Grand Central Publishing, arrives October 7. It’s available for pre-order in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.

Osbourne, born December 3, 1948, offered a characteristically forthright quote to promote the book. “People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I’m like, f*** 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. But right now, I’m not ready to go anywhere.”

More from the publisher’s announcement: At the age of sixty-nine, Ozzy Osbourne was on a triumphant farewell tour, playing to sold-out arenas and rave reviews all around the world. Then, disaster.

In a matter of just a few weeks, he went from being hospitalized with a finger infection to having to abandon his tour—and all public life—as he faced near-total paralysis from the neck down.

Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Osbourne’s descent into hell. Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career – including his turbulent marriage to wife Sharon, his encounters with fellow hellraisers including Slash, Bon Scott, John Bonham and Keith Moon, the harrowing final moments he spent with Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, all alongside his reflections on the triumphant Back to the Beginning concert, streamed around the world, where Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the final time and raised millions for charity.

Unflinching and 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.

Osbourne’s first autobiography, I Am Ozzy, was published in 2010, debuting at #2 on the New York Times‘ hardcover non-fiction best-seller list. It’s available here.