Through Ozzy Osbourne’s chaotic rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, there was always one constant – his devoted wife Sharon staying by his side
Sharon Osbourne will be waking up today on her first morning without her beloved husband Ozzy. The heartbroken mum to their three children announced yesterday that the Black Sabbath legend had sadly died at the age of 76.
Paying tribute to her husband of more than 40 years, Sharon said: “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. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.”
Sharon first met hell-raiser Ozzy in the 1970s via her father Don Arden, who was the first manager of Black Sabbath. After taking the chaotic frontman under her wing, Sharon devoted her life to supporting Ozzy until the day he died.
Here’s everything you need to know about their marriage.
READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne dead UPDATES: Black Sabbath co-star heartbroken over friend’s death
When did Sharon and Ozzy meet and get married?
The pair first met when Sharon was just 18 and she said it was far from love at first sight as she found he and his band ‘odd and hairy’ and found them scary to be around.
“I went to see their show that night with my father, they performed at this club in London and I was so in awe of what I was seeing,” she said. “And then when I saw him, how electric it was, I was blown away and that’s when I became interested in Black Sabbath.”
Sharon says what happened next was a classic ‘workplace romance.’
In 1979, Sharon’s dad sacked Ozzy from Black Sabbath because of his substance issues. It was his concerned daughter Sharon who then came to his aid as he lay holed up in a hotel room for three months, with Sharon stepping in to help him recover. She eventually encouraged him to launch a solo career.
“He was so funny and quick-witted yet very vulnerable. And I just thought he was the funniest, sweetest guy I’d ever met because he was so vulnerable about everything, and that just attracted me to him,” she said.
But things weren’t easy because Ozzy was married and had two children. When the divorced was finally finalised, he and Sharon tied the knot on July 4, 1982 in Hawaii just months later.
Ozzy later admitted he’d put Thelma ‘through hell’, but his marriage to Sharon endured an even rockier ride.
Who was Thelma Riley, Ozzy’s fist wife
Ozzy met his first wife Thelma at a Birmingham nightclub where she worked in 1971.
They married the same year and then had two children together, named Jessica and Louis. Ozzy also adopted Thelma’s then-five-year-old son from a previous relationship.
The singer referred to his first marriage as a ‘terrible mistake’ and admitted in the 2011 documentary, God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, produced by his son Jack, that he couldn’t even remember when his eldest children were born.
Sharon biggest heartbreak
In their lowest moment, Sharon discovered emails that revealed Ozzy had been unfaithful with celebrity hairdresser Michelle Pugh between 2012 and 2016.
Sharon revealed that she tried to take her own life with an overdose in a heartbreaking admission.
It caused the couple to temporary split with the couple’s spokesman confirming at the time that they “mutually agreed” that Ozzy would move out of their marital home.
Sharon said having an affair with someone she knew was by far the most painful thing he’d put her through. “He always, always had groupies and I was so used to that. But when he knows the name of the person, where they live and where they work… it is a whole different thing as you are emotionally invested. I took, I don’t know how many pills.”
Speaking on stage as part of her UK tour with friend and Loose Women star Jane Moore, Sharon continued: “I just thought, ‘My kids are older, they are fine and can take care of themselves. So, I took an overdose and locked myself in the bedroom. The maid tried to come in to clean the room and saw me.”
The mum also confirmed the couple’s split during an appearance on US chat show The Talk in 2016. “I’m 63 years of age, and I can’t keep living like this,” she said. “I’ve been avoiding looking at any pictures or reading anything. I know what’s going on. I don’t need to read about or see about it. It’s like putting salt in a wound. I don’t need to… He’s back, and now I’m out of the house.”
“I felt like a fool. It was as though everyone else had known about it and that everybody was laughing at me. I felt very humiliated and belittled.”
Why Sharon stayed
Sharon said people were waiting for her to leave for good but she ultimately, after a brief break while she got over the shock she returned. Speaking about he reasons why, she said: “I’m not just his wife, I’m his manager. When he hit rock bottom I didn’t walk away I pulled him through the mud and put him back on stage.”
She continued : “$800 net worth but do you really think I stayed for mansions and champagne?”
In 2023, Ozzy was diagnosed with Parksinson’s, “He didn’t want to stop so I pushed him forward,” said Sharon.
“Tours, recordings, promo I showed up for all of it. I stayed to hold up the name Ozzy Osbourne until the very end.”
She added: “A therapist would diagnose him as an addict and me as a nutter but we are totally co-dependent.”
Secret to their happy marriage
Sharon and Ozzy both said the secret to their long marriage was easy – it was all about acceptance. The pair said they learned early on to accept and embrace each other’s flaws.
Sharon also said it helped that they were “cut from the same mold – knowing they were both eccentric and neither perfect but seeing their uniqueness as a positive.
You can’t change anything. It’s acceptance,” Sharon said. “Of course, the bottom line is love but you accept each other as you are.
“We’re both oddballs. I might look quite normal, you know, the way I dress, but normal is not a word I use often.”
*If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch