Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's love story: What the 18-year-old really thought of the young rocker when they met and how the 'soulmates' endured all despite the odds

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne became one of the most unlikely A-list power couples and their love story endured despite the many challenges thrown their way.
The couple remained devoted to each other over their nearly five decades together, standing by one another through Ozzy's addiction, infidelity and health difficulties.
Sharon steadfastly stood by her husband's side until his death on Tuesday aged 76, supporting him through his ill health and his final ever Black Sabbath concert just weeks before his passing.
They first met when Sharon was just 18 years old and Ozzy was 22, but it certainly wasn't love at first sight for the couple, with Sharon recalling how she really felt about the rocker at the time.
Speaking to CBS' Dan Rather for AXS TV in 2017, Sharon said she was 'nervous' of Ozzy and his Black Sabbath bandmates - Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward - at first.
They first met when Black Sabbath were considering being managed by Sharon's father, talent agent Don Arden - who then signed the band in 1974.
When asked if it was love at first sight during that first meeting, Sharon replied: 'No, no not at all! I was like ''oh Lord look at them'' because they were all odd and hairy''.
'I'd been used to dealing with artists who were American and they were really slick and put together and they smelt nice.
'But suddenly these guys came in and they were very hairy and they were from the North of England and they don't look or dress like anything I'd ever seen, so I was very nervous of them.'
However, Sharon said she began to understand the Black Sabbath appeal when she watched their London show that night, though it wasn't until years later that romance formed between her and Ozzy.
'I was so in awe of what I was seeing, again, I hadn't seen anything like that,' she admitted.
'When I saw how electric it was and how different, I was blown away! So that's when I became interested in Black Sabbath.'
In 1979, Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath due to his unreliable behaviour and substance abuse with Sharon taking over as his solo manager, straining her relationship with her father Don - who had been fired by the band.
On The Osbournes podcast, Ozzy recalled: 'I got fired from Black Sabbath and I thought ''I'm done'', and then Sharon said ''I want to manage you'' and I thought ''does she want me?'''
In 2017, Sharon said she was 'nervous' of Ozzy at first, but his sense of humour eventually won her over - which she credits for keeping them together (they are pictured in 1985)
It was then that sparks began to fly, with Sharon telling how she was attracted to his sense of humour and vulnerability - crediting that for keeping them together over the years.
'In 79 we were working together and it was in 1980 that we started. We were working together and it just became something else,' she told Dan Rather in the 2017 chat.
'He was so funny and quick-witted and very vulnerable. I just thought he was the funniest, sweetest guy I'd ever met because he was so vulnerable about everything. That just attracted me to him.'
Their romance blossomed during a trip to San Francisco with musician Gary Moore, with Ozzy previously telling how he desperately tried to sneak off to Sharon's room.
On their family podcast last year, Sharon recalled: 'He was trying to find my room but I had booked in another name and Ozzy couldn't find me in my room.'
While Ozzy quipped: 'All night, I was going to say ''can I come and watch your telly?'' cos that was my pick-up line back then.'
However, it wasn't plain-sailing as Ozzy was married, with his first wife Thelma Riley - with whom he shared children Jessica and Louis and adopted her son Elliot - divorcing him in 1982 due to his alcohol addiction.
Sharon said of the time: 'It was tough because Ozzy was married and had two children so after the divorce - his wife divorced him, I would have done the same thing at the time - so everything he had, he just left with her, which was the right thing to do.'
When asked if she was the reason for their split, Sharon added: 'No, because of the drink, she couldn't take it anymore and I get it.'
When the couple tied the knot after his divorce in 1982, Sharon told how they had 'nothing', with Ozzy struggling financially after being fired from his band while she was laden down by tax bills from her father Don's management firm - which he had put her in charge of.
Despite their hardships, Ozzy has described Sharon as his 'soulmate' and said he believes they were always meant to be together.
'I was attracted to Sharon for many years, we'd see each other in airports and festivals along the way and she had this infectious laugh, she was fun,' he said on The Osbournes podcast in 2024.
'We were meant to be together, looking back, we were meant to be.'
He gushed: 'Sharon is like my soulmate, sometimes I love her, sometimes I don't love her, sometimes I'm angry with her, sometimes I'm crazy about her, sometimes I'm very jealous of her, sometimes I want to f**king kill her.
'But through it all, at the end of the day, I love her more than anything in the world. I couldn't live without her, I wouldn't want to live without her. My love for her is bigger than it's ever been, we've had a rocky road.'
The couple have had many marital difficulties over the years from infidelity to illness but remained together through it all, with Ozzy praising his wife for staying by his side through his health woes.
'These last five years have been hell and I've been a pain in the arse trying to recover but my family have been so f**king wonderful,' he said last year.
'My wife has worked her arse off trying to help me get back on my feet, and my kids have been great as well.'
Ozzy underwent seven surgeries over the past five years, including a fourth spinal operation in 2023, and had battled Parkinson's disease since 2003 - though he only publicly revealed his diagnosis in 2020.
Ozzy and Sharon tied the knot on July 4, 1982, in Hawaii and welcomed three children during their marriage - Aimee, 41, Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39.
They documented their family life throughout the 2000s on their reality TV show, The Osbournes, though their eldest daughter Aimee chose not to feature on the series.
Ozzy supported Sharon through her battle with colon cancer in July 2002, when she underwent surgery to remove a large portion of her colon.
Thankfully, Sharon was given the all-clear and has remained cancer free ever since, though she underwent a preventative double mastectomy after learning a genetic mutation raised her risk of developing the disease.
But one of the couple's most trying moments in their marriage was when Sharon discovered Ozzy had been having an affair with his hair stylist Michelle Pugh in 2016.
The distraught music manager struggled to cope with the devastating news and it drove her to take a drug overdose before she walked out on their decades-long marriage.
However, she publicly forgave him months later, admitting she was still in love with him and couldn't imagine her life without him, so was working to rebuild their trust.
Ozzy later shared his deep regret for cheating on his wife and voiced his sadness over almost losing her because of his 'outrageous' actions.
'I've done some pretty outrageous things in my life. I regret cheating on my wife. I don't do it anymore,' he told British GQ.
'I got my reality check and I'm lucky she didn't leave me. I'm not proud of that. I was pissed off with myself. But I broke her heart.'
In Ozzy's final years of life, Sharon remained steadfastly by his side and nursed him through several major health issues, including his Parkinson's struggles.
Sharon appeared by his side at his Back To The Beginning concert on July 5, which saw Ozzy take to the stage for one last time for his farewell show.
It was also the last time that Ozzy performed with his Black Sabbath bandmates since 2005, with thousands of fans flocking to Birmingham's Villa Park for the concert.
Ozzy had planned to keep recording music after retiring from live performing, but less than three weeks after his last show, his family announced the sad news of his death, sending the music world into mourning.
In a statement on Tuesday July 22, his family 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.'