Now that Ozzy Osbourne has presumably retired from touring, the 76-year-old Black Sabbath bandleader has plenty of time for other creative endeavors. Firstly, he's just announced his new memoir Last Rites, which lands on bookshelves Oct. 7.
Osbourne's already a published author with his 2009 autobiography I Am Ozzy, but a lot has happened since then! Notably, he had to cancel his 2019 farewell tour after contracting pneumonia, sustaining injuries from a gnarly fall at his house, and being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease all within the span of a couple of months. Last Rites is described as "a shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Osbourne’s descent into hell," reflecting on his marriage and rockstar friendships along the way.
Osbourne may not be able to walk these days, but he can still use his arms and hands! He's also auctioning off a small collection of abstract paintings he created with the help of chimpanzees. Ozzy did the base coats while the chimps added their finishing touches. It's the first time he's sold his paintings, but the proceeds are going towards Save The Chimps, a Florida sanctuary that rescues chimps from animal testing labs and poorly-run zoos.
Black Sabbath's big farewell show in Birmingham last week also featured performances from a whole bunch of Osbourne's friends including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, and the much younger Yungblud, who's collaborated with the Osbournes before. Apparently, Ozzy once gave Yungblud a fancy cross necklace, and so Yungblud returned the favor and gifted Ozzy some commemorative bling ahead of the gig. I reluctantly admit that I think the video is sweet. Even sweeter is the video of Slipknot's Sid Wilson proposing to girlfriend Kelly Osbourne in front of the whole family backstage. "Fuck off, you’re not marrying my daughter," Ozzy told Wilson in jest before the question was popped, but everyone eventually said yes. Watch below.
Speaking of the farewell show, here's Osbourne's isolated vocals on "Mama, I'm Coming Home." It's emotional!
Last Rites is out 10/7 via Hachette. Pre-order it here.
