Review - "Last Rites" by Ozzy Osbourne

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It was the end of 2018 and Ozzy Osbourne was performing at The Forum in Inglewood, CA at a New Year’s Eve Ozzfest show.  At one point during Tommy Clufetos’ drum solo Ozzy thought to himself “...what kind of deal must I have done with the devil to still be up here doing this?  I mean, I was the last man standing in many ways.  It made no sense to me.  I was the one who’d been to prison.  Whose tour bus had been hit by a f***ing plane, while I was still in it.  Whose guitarist had been killed tragically.  Who’d been charged with attempted murder.  Who’d broken his neck and spent eight days in a chemical coma, technically dead, after falling off a quad bike.  Who’d been a hopeless drug addict and world-class alcoholic for more than half a century.”  These situations are just some of what is discussed in great detail in “Last Rites”, the latest memoir by Ozz Osbourne.  “Last Rites” is on sale October 7, 2025 through Grand Central Publishing.

Just as he did in his 2009 autobiography “I Am Ozzy”, Ozzy holds nothing back as he focuses the majority of “Last Rights” on the ailments and accidents that led to him having to retire from touring.  He details the incidents that caused him more than six years of doctor’s visits and surgeries.  He talks about his Parkinson’s condition and how it affected his ability to heal.  He talks about many of his lowest points that he had to overcome to get to the point where his millions of fans worldwide were able to witness his performance at “Back to the Beginning” in July 2025 in Birmingham, England.

In typical Ozzy fashion though, he gives us a laugh and some great insights into many moments other than his health issues.  He describes his friendship and work with Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead.  He talks about Eric Clapton and why, for years, he thought Clapton hated him.  He talks about meeting Paul McCartney, Axl Rose, and others.  He details his cocaine use during his days with Black Sabbath.  He gives many honest accounts of touring and the craziness that went on.  Ozzy tells us how he was impacted by the deaths of David Bowie, Dimebag Darrell Abbott, and other legends.  Of course he talks a lot about his dear friend and guitarist Randy Rhoads and gives almost a minute by minute account of the plane crash that caused Randy’s death.  Ozzy brings us into the writing and recording of “Ordinary Man” and “Patient Number 9”.  

Ozzy also leaves plenty of room in “Last Rites” to talk about his one true love, his wife Sharon. From the first time they met through the incident that let to him being arrested for attempted murder, through issues Sharon faced while on “The View”, through all the ups and downs they experienced together, Ozzy leaves no doubt that his life would not have been possible without his Sharon.

One trait of Ozzy's that always impressed me was his humility and we are treated to what he felt after finding out about the Black Sabbath bench the band was honored with in at the Birmingham Bridge.  He shares with us what his performance at the Commonwealth Games meant to him.  And of course we get to know how the "Back to the Beginning" concert came to be and what that day meant to our Prince of Darkness!

Ozzy sums up his life as follows: “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”

by John Doan @ Musicfrenzy.net