Ozzy Osbourne Says Music Is ‘The Best Drug’ He’s Ever Had

In excerpts from his forthcoming book, Last Rites, completed just before his passing, rock icon Ozzy Osbourne offered an intimate look back at the emotional climax of his career: his farewell concert in Birmingham, England. The Black Sabbath legend, who died at 76, detailed the immense personal struggle and profound joy he experienced on stage, describing the event as a monumental victory over years of medical battles.

An Overwhelming Goodbye at Home

Osbourne confessed that performing his 1991 hit “Mama, I’m Coming Home” was the most challenging and emotionally overwhelming moment of the night. He revealed the song held deep personal significance, calling it “Sharon’s song, y’know? One of her favorites. Lemmy [Kilmister] wrote it with the two of us in mind.”

However, the emotion was about more than just the lyrics. For Osbourne, the performance represented a personal triumph over six debilitating years of medical issues, which had cost him the ability to walk unassisted. He referred to the concert as his “last hurrah”:

“I’d made it to the stage after six traumatic years, after losing the ability to walk or do anything on my own. It was just the whole thing, all of it coming together.”

As he began to choke up, the crowd of 42,000, with an additional 5.8 million watching online, noticed his struggle. He recalled the moment with gratitude:

“The crowd noticed I was struggling, and they started singing back the words. I’ve been so lucky to have had so many wonderful fans. God bless you all.”

The Throne and the Family Reunion

The singer’s inability to stand necessitated that he perform on a custom-made throne. While he considered it a “necessary evil,” he took a moment to joke about the production’s initial ambitious plans:

“At one point there was talk of making it fly over the stage and shoot water at the crowd – but thank fuck that didn’t happen, ’cos knowing my luck it would have crashed!”

The powerful reunion further elevated the atmosphere. Osbourne described being on stage with the original members of Black Sabbath and their old crew, asserting that the entire production felt like a “family experience.”

Despite admitting to doubts about his vocal ability before taking the stage for his solo set, the nerves immediately vanished:

“But as soon as the curtain went up I forgot about my nerves. Suddenly I was looking out over 42,000 faces, with another 5.8 million watching online.”

The sheer scale of the audience finally hit him:

“That was when the emotion really hit me. I’d never really taken it on board that so many people liked me – or even knew who I was.”

The Best Medicine He Ever Took

Having conquered decades of addiction, Osbourne delivered a powerful final reflection on the nature of his lifelong pursuit of a high. He called that last concert “the best medicine I’ve had since all my medical shit started back in 2019” and a “magical night.”

Ultimately, he concluded that the stage was the only place where he was truly free of his personal struggles:

“What I’ve realized is that the one place where I’m free of all my demons is on a stage… I spent my whole life trying to get high from every substance known to man. … I was just trying to get back the feeling of when I was up there on stage, doing my job.”

The visceral experience of a live show—“The packed arena; The thump of the bass drum you can feel in your stomach. Forty or fifty thousand voices singing back your words”—was, in the end, what he had always been chasing. His final, moving declaration:

“It was the best drug I ever took.”

Last Rites will be published on October 7 via Hachette.