Last Rites by Ozzy OsbourneMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Ozzy had already written his autobiography in I Am Ozzy so did we need another Ozzy book? Well here it is and it's a bittersweet offering. I Am Ozzy covered his life from childhood, his teen years, the formation of Black Sabbath and his solo career up to 2009. This book covers his life from the end of 2018 up to the Back to Beginning show with Sabbath and a host of other bands in early 2025. As we know Ozzy passed away shortly thereafter in July 2025.
So, what's in the book? A play by play history of all of Ozzy's medical woes which were nonstop until his death - infections, pneumonia (several times), broken necks, broken spine, etc. Ozzy relates all of his medical appointments, which hospitals he visited, etc. Along with the ever present anecdotes about his drug abuse, past and present.
Amidst all this there is some talk of the music, but VERY little as he apparently had little to do with the albums other than the vocals. Relying instead on big name producers and a who's who of guest musicians to handle the actual work of putting an album together.
During the book, Ozzy is often melancholy and even regretful of some of his poor life choices. We also get a sense that he knew full well that the end was near. Hell - with the amount of surgeries he suffered through it's no wonder.
The book is quite well written thanks to co-writer Chris Ayres (who also collaborated on the first book) and the prose reads wonderfully. If you're a huge Ozzy fan then this book might be of interest though there is little here that's not already known.
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