Ozzy Osbourne finished his last book, Last Rites, just days before he passed away - and it’s full of the kind of honesty, humour, and chaos you’d expect from the Prince of Darkness.

Written with longtime collaborator Chris Ayres and announced earlier this year, the memoir captures Ozzy at his most real. Sure, he talks about the wild stuff - the dove, the bat, the 72-hour benders - but the book takes a closer look at how all of the madness took a toll on his body. 

In the book, Ozzy is brutally honest about the pain he went through in his final years - endless surgeries, infections, and a body that just couldn’t keep up anymore. But of course, he still finds moments to laugh at it all, like only Ozzy could.

Another emotional part comes when he talks about his final Back to the Beginning show in July at Birmingham’s Villa Park. It all happened just down the road from where Ozzy grew up, with 42,000 fans there, and millions watching around the world on the global live stream. 

Metallica, Tool, Guns N’ Roses, Steven Tyler, Tom Morello, and countless others all turned up to pay tribute to him and Black Sabbath. 

It was no secret that Ozzy had been seriously unwell in the weeks, months, and years leading up to the final gig, which is also covered in the new Paramount+ documentary Ozzy: No Escape From Now, but the book reveals, in his own written words, just how much he had to battle through to make it to that stage.

Ozzy was suffering vertebrae problems, pneumonia, and even sepsis, but he still made it to the stage. If there’s one thing Ozzy always was, it was determined. 

“As soon as the curtain went up, I forgot about my nerves,” he wrote. Sitting on a rising throne, he kicked off Mama, I’m Coming Home, which he explained, “it’s Sharon’s song, y’know?”

“Someone said in the papers it was like I was attending my own wake, which would be a very metal thing to do,” Ozzy said. “But it didn’t feel like a funeral. It felt like a celebration.”

According to his son Jack, Ozzy finished writing Last Rites just a few days before he died at age 76. And in those last pages, he sounded totally at peace:

“I used to worry more about my mortality when I was younger,” Osbourne wrote. “It’s weird. You get closer to the end – the very thing you were scared of your whole life – and suddenly the weight’s lifted off you. Not that I’m ready to go. But I’ve had a good run. I think I made a mark on the world. And I’m glad I didn’t check out early, like so many others.”

Elsewhere in the book, Ozzy shares plenty of wild yarns. 

He credits a “steaming hangover” for one of his best live shows, recalls having to fire an overly amorous bandmate, and explains how he and Bill Ward made peace after nearly a decade of not speaking. 

He also reflects on Randy Rhoads’ tragic death, admits he didn’t truly become “Ozzy” until marrying Sharon, and so much more.

It’s funny, sad, and weirdly uplifting - exactly what you’d expect from Ozzy’s final goodbye. If you’re keen to give it a read, check it out here.