Just days after Ozzy Osbourne’s death at the age of 76, it has been confirmed that his final autobiography, described as a collection of “brutally honest” confessions, will still be published later this year.
The rock legend passed away on July 22, surrounded by his loved ones, according to a statement from his family.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love,” read the message signed by wife Sharon and children Jack, Kelly, Aimee, and Louis.
Now, fans are preparing for one last glimpse into the life of the Black Sabbath frontman. Titled Last Rites, the upcoming memoir is expected to delve deep into the highs and lows of Osbourne’s life, including the cheating scandal that nearly ended his marriage in 2016.
“This book was basically Ozzy’s last confessions and contains a lot of passages about how he is sorry for the affair,” a source told The Sun. “As he was always brutally honest during his life, it’s been decided not a word will be changed, even about painful times in his life and how his affair affected Sharon.”
The affair in question involved hairstylist Michelle Pugh, who claimed she was in a relationship with Osbourne from 2012 to 2016 after meeting him as a client.
“We just had [chemistry]. It’s that indescribable thing in life, and you can’t deny it. And he didn’t,” Pugh told PEOPLE in 2016, per Metro. She also said Osbourne told her he was “unhappy” in his marriage and “consistently and willingly and generously” gave her “his love".
Osbourne later addressed the scandal publicly, attributing his behavior to sex addiction. “He is sorry if Ms. Pugh took their sexual relationship out of context,” his representative said in a statement. “He would like to apologise to the other women he has been having sexual relationships with. Since his relationship with Ms. Pugh was exposed, Ozzy has gone into intense therapy.”
Sharon Osbourne, who married the late singer in 1982, is now expected to write the foreword for Last Rites.
“Sharon is made of stern stuff, and the publishers know she will want to leave her fingerprint on this book,” the insider added. “Writing its foreword will also be cathartic for her and act as a way of laying Ozzy to rest.”
The book, set for release in October, is being described as “the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy’s descent into hell”.
A blurb adds that it includes reflections on his long marriage to the former X Factor judge and the triumphant Back to the Beginning farewell concert, streamed globally just weeks before his death.
In that final performance, held at Villa Park in Birmingham, Osbourne performed seated on a black throne, delivering one last show to devoted fans in his hometown. Backstage, he witnessed Slipknot’s Sid Wilson propose to daughter, Kelly.
“Kelly, you know I love you more than anything in the world,” Wilson said, before Ozzy jumped in with trademark wit: “F**k off, you’re not marrying my daughter.”
Kelly, 40, later paid tribute to her father by sharing lyrics from their 2003 duet 'Changes' on Instagram: “I feel unhappy I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had,” with a broken heart emoji.
The duet, a reimagining of Black Sabbath’s 1972 song, became a UK chart-topper, making them the second father-daughter duo to reach number one after Frank and Nancy Sinatra.
Despite a series of health struggles, including a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020, Osbourne remained active in music and beloved by fans, known as much for his wild antics and heavy metal legacy as for his close-knit family and reality TV fame on The Osbournes.