Ozzy Osbourne to document health struggles in new memoir ‘Last Rites’
Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne has announced plans to document his health problems in the new memoir, Last Rites.
The new book is set for publication on October 7th through Hachette, and will be the second time that Osbourne has released a memoir. However, a lot has changed since Osbourne created I Am Ozzy in 2009, particularly in regards to the singer’s health due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Last Rites has been described by Ozzy’s publishing house as “the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Osbourne’s descent into hell.”
“At the age of 69, Ozzy Osbourne was on a triumphant farewell tour, playing to sold-out arenas and rave reviews all around the world,” the description notes, setting the scene.
It then continues: “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.”
While his health struggles will take up a large portion of the pages, Last Rites promises to also deliver the truth behind “his turbulent marriage to wife Sharon, his encounters with fellow hellraisers including Slash, Bon Scott, John Bonham and Keith Moon, (and) the harrowing final moments he spent with Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister.”
Osbourne writes in the new book: “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. But right now, I’m not ready to go anywhere.”
The book is yet to be completed, as it will additionally include Osbourne’s thoughts on his farewell show Back to the Beginning. The concert took place at Villa Park on July 5th with Osbourne, performing from a throne due to his mobility issues, delivering a solo set and a riotous reunion with Black Sabbath.
Every artist on the bill waived their fee, and all proceeds were shared between Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice. According to the concert’s creative director Tom Morello, it raised almost $200 million for the three charities and more than five million people paid to stream the concert from home.
Before Black Sabbath bowed out for the final time with ‘Paranoid‘, Osbourne emotionally told the crowd: “It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
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