Three months after his death, Ozzy Osbourne’s final thoughts on the afterlife were revealed in a new posthumous memoir, in which he poignantly said, “It won’t be long now.”
Just before his passing, heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne made a gloomy prediction for the afterlife. Two decades after receiving a diagnosis for Parkinson’s disease and just two weeks after his stunning performance at Back to the Beginning with Black Sabbath in their native Birmingham, Ozzy passed away on July 22.
He openly discussed his expectations for the future in his upcoming posthumous memoir Last Rites, which will be released on October 7.
The Sabbath frontman confessed “I’ve no idea” regarding what death might mean before his passing at 76 earlier this year.
He continued, “People keep asking me what I believe will happen in the afterlife.” I tell them, “I have no idea, but it won’t be long now,” so if you hand around a little, I might haunt you and give you the answer. “I’ve no idea,” I reply.
Ozzy continued, “One of the topics my family won’t let me discuss on my tombstone is definitely what I want on it.”
Ozzy’s book was finished after making a triumphant return to Birmingham for the Villa Park show, which featured Sabbath giving his final performance alongside metal legends Metallica, Pantera, and Slayer.
Father-of-Six Ozzy had previously made speculative decisions regarding what might be carved on his gravestone, claiming that no one would forget a notorious 1982 incident from his Diary of a Madman tour.
Ozzy Osbourne was infamously tricked into biting the head off a rubber bat that he believed had been thrown on stage during a show in Des Moines, Iowa, only to discover it was incredibly real.
Ozzy remarked on the infamous incident in a 2004 interview, saying, “Here lies Ozzy Osbourne, the former Black Sabbath singer who bit the head off a bat.
He described the horrifying scene in his 2010 autobiography, “I Am Ozzy,” as “Something felt wrong. Very incorrect. First, I had a mouth that was immediately brimming with this gloopy, warm liquid. Then my mouth’s head began to twitch.
The alleged 17-year-old fan who allegedly threw the bat maintains that the bat was dead before the show.
Ozzy admitted to feeling anxious ahead of his final performance at Birmingham’s famous “Back to the Beginning” concert on July 5 despite his reputation for being fearless on stage.
Ozzy felt the pressure of the event’s high turnout, as more and more celebrities are a part of it.
Ozzy considered alternatives as he battled severe health issues and worried that the stage might not be full because there will be no seats. She looked at me as though I was crazy. She is more knowledgeable about me than I am. She was aware that she was merely terrified.
Sharon, who has managed her husband since 1979, offered words of comfort: “If you can’t sing on the night, just talk to the crowd and thank them. All you need to do is get up there and be Ozzy.”
Ozzy wrote in his memoir that he had reservations about returning to England for his final performance, “Well, I made it. England’s place again. Birmingham is now back. My final performance was referred to as “Back to the Beginning.”
He unflinchingly stated his depressing expectations, saying, “For a while, I was persuaded that my last trip home would be in a pine f***ing box.”
He admitted that when Sharon first mentioned the idea of the farewell concert to me, he didn’t believe there was much chance of me making it to 2025. “I mean, I’ve got to be honest with you, I’ve got to be honest with you.
The rock star remarked that the overwhelming love he had sought throughout his battle with addiction was attained by the Villa Park crowd at its best.
In his final performance, Ozzy recalled the feeling of belonging and tranquility he felt while seated on the throne: “At Back to the Beginning, I felt at home, I felt at peace.”
He said about his long-standing career: “I felt comfortable. I’m gonna miss doing it, going on stage. It’s the only world I’ve known for 57 years.”
There is nothing better than a good gig, he said, describing the unparalleled thrill of a live performance. Man, the crowd’s roar is so perceptive and addictive. That is pure magic, there.
Ozzy realized that his lifelong quest for highs was actually a quest to recreate the thrill of performing: “I spent my entire life trying to get high from every substance known to man. But now that I’m back, I realize I was just trying to recreate the atmosphere of the stage while carrying out my duties.
