Ozzy Osbourne had one last project up his sleeve before his death in July at age 76: a new memoir titled Last Rites.
The book, which hit shelves Tuesday, October 7, recounts the late rocker’s numerous health battles in his final years, but it’s also full of juicy tidbits from his career as a heavy metal pioneer and eventual reality TV star.
“Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can’t complain,” he wrote in the book’s opening pages. “I’ve been all around the world. Seen a lot of things. Met some phenomenal people — King Charles, Queen Elizabeth, presidents, actors, celebrities, some truly great fans. I’ve done good. Done bad.”
The Grammy winner announced the book less than two weeks before he died of a heart attack at his home in Birmingham, England. Earlier that month, he performed his final concert, which he called “the best medicine I’ve had since all my medical s*** started back in 2019.”
Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from Last Rites:
The ‘Most Addictive’ Drug He’s Done
Osbourne was famous for being a prolific drug user before getting sober for good, but in the book, he described nicotine as “the most addictive substance I’ve ever put into my body, without any shadow of doubt.”
He also noted that he didn’t like to take propofol, the drug that killed Michael Jackson, “for fun,” writing, “There are some things you don’t just f*** around with. The fact Michael Jackson used to take it every night to get to sleep is absolutely insane to me.”
And while the Black Sabbath frontman had his share of scary, drug-induced moments, one of the worst happened while he was working on his 1995 solo album, Ozzmosis, and mixing vodka with codeine.
“It was absolutely terrifying,” he recalled, noting that he wasn’t able to breathe at one point. “I came that close, man. It scared the living s*** out of me.”
‘Prince of Darkness’ Ozzy Osbourne’s OMG Moments On and Off Stage
He Never Meant to Bite Off That Bat’s Head
Osbourne’s first brush with biting off an animal’s head came when he bit the head off a dove during a record label meeting in 1981. He did it to shock the suits in the room, but wrote that he felt deep regret for years afterward. “Now that I’m older and living full time in the sober world, I can’t stand any kind of cruelty to animals,” he explained. “What happened to that bird, I’ll take to my grave. But I can’t change what I did.”
More infamously, he bit the head off a bat during a 1982 tour stop in Des Moines, Iowa, but according to Osbourne, it was an accident. “That was the night someone threw what I thought was a joke-shop bat at the stage. And I caught it,” he recalled. “And I don’t need to tell you what happened next. Other than to say, when I bit down on its neck I realized very quickly it wasn’t made of rubber.”
He Felt Relief When ‘The Osbournes’ Ended
MTV introduced Ozzy and his family — wife Sharon and kids Jack and Kelly — to a whole new generation of fans via the reality show The Osbournes, but Ozzy was ultimately happy when the series ended in 2005.
“I mean, I liked being in The Osbournes, but I hated working in TV. It’s a vipers’ nest, TV, it really is. It’s not like being in music,” he wrote. “When the final camera guy left, it was such a relief, man. To take a s*** without a boom mic over your head.”
Ozzy Osbourne Through the Years: Black Sabbath to Father, Reality Star
He Talked About Recovery With Other Celebrities
Ozzy quit drinking and drugs several times before kicking his habits for good, and sometimes, his fellow celebrities supported him. He wrote that Matthew Perry “used to come to our house for AA meetings,” calling him “the funniest, most talented bloke.”
Before his death in 2016, David Bowie also crossed paths with Ozzy at AA. “He even called my house in L.A. a few times to talk about recovery stuff,” Ozzy wrote. “I’ve no idea what the last thing I said to him was. That’s the thing when you’re younger, it never occurs to you that you might never get to see or talk to someone again.”
The Infamous ‘Cocaine Duel’ With David Lee Roth
According to rock legend, Ozzy once spent days in a “cocaine duel” with David Lee Roth, trying to see who could do the most cocaine before passing out or dying. Ozzy, however, doesn’t think it really transpired, given that he and Roth weren’t super close. “I mean, it’s possible it happened,” he wrote. “But I doubt it. It just wasn’t the kind of thing I did with Dave.”
King Charles III Sent Him Scotch
In addition to the numerous rock stars who make cameos in the book, there’s also a fun appearance by King Charles, then the Prince of Wales. “Every time I see him, we have a right old laugh. He’s a great guy,” Ozzy wrote. “After my quad bike accident, he sent me a bottle of Scotch, which was very nice of him. The only problem was, Sharon confiscated it before I could get my hands on it. It went to the ‘loft of no return’ where Sharon hides all the things she wants to keep but doesn’t want me to see.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer noted that he never got over the shock of being friendly with Charles, writing, “When I was growing up, if I’d have told anyone the future king of England would be sending me booze in the post, they’d have put me in a room with rubber walls.”
Ozzy Osbourne ‘Knew’ He Was Dying During Final Show, Says Friend
His Alleged Suicide Pact With Sharon
Rumors circulated for years that Ozzy and Sharon, 72, had a suicide pact in the event of one of their deaths, but Ozzy debunked the speculation. “That’s bulls***,” he explained. “We just don’t want some drawn-out end on a breathing tube. I’ve said to Sharon, if that ever happens to me, please … turn me off. Or fly me to Switzerland, give me one final sip of the jolly juice and send me out like a Viking.”
He Was Thinking About Recording Again Before His Death
While Ozzy had to give up performing on stage because of his health, he didn’t give up singing — and actually planned to record again before he died. “Although I won’t be performing again, I’ve already got an idea for a new album,” he wrote, adding that he wanted to stay in England rather than return to L.A. “I’ve had a loud life. I’m ready for some quiet now.”
