Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have been one of rock’s biggest power couples. With Ozzy as the metal legend and Sharon as the manager and TV star, the two have enjoyed success together over 33 years of marriage. But on May 8, 2016, their 45-year relationship seemed to come to at an end.
Sharon and Ozzy first met in 1971, the same year that Black Sabbath’s legendary album, “Paranoid,” was released. Sharon’s father, Don Arden, was Black Sabbath’s manager at the time.
Eight years later, Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath due to his refusal to help work on new music. Arden then signed Ozzy to a solo contract and sent Sharon to look after him in the hopes that the singer would eventually return to Sabbath.
Instead, Sharon became Ozzy’s new manager and the two began dating. Sharon’s decision to take over Ozzy’s career enraged her father, and the two became estranged for decades.
Under Sharon’s management, Ozzy released his debut solo album in 1980. “Blizzard of Ozz” became a multi-platinum hit despite the fact that its famous single, “Crazy Train,” failed to crack the Top 40 in the U.S. or U.K.
In 1981, during a contract signing with CBS Records, Ozzy infamously bit the head off a dove while intoxicated. The incident only added to the singer’s urban legend popularity and fueled his image as the world’s most dangerous rock star. He later repeated the stunt with a live bat and had to get rabies shots.
1982 was a year of both joy and tragedy for Ozzy and Sharon. In March of that year, Ozzy’s bandmate Randy Rhoads was killed in a plane crash while on tour for “Diary of a Madman.” The loss sent Ozzy into a deep depression.
However, four months later, Ozzy and Sharon were married in Maui on July 4. Over the next three years they had three children: Aimee, Kelly and Jack.
In 1983, Ozzy released his first album after Rhoads’ death. “Bark At The Moon” became one of Ozzy’s biggest successes, but guitarist Jake E. Lee told radio host Eddie Trunk in 2014 that he co-wrote the title track but was forced by Sharon to sign a contract giving up songwriting credit. Lee would eventually leave the band in 1987 and be replaced by Zakk Wylde, who went on to become Ozzy’s most famous collaborator.
Ozzy and Sharon’s relationship was constantly tested by Ozzy’s struggle with substance abuse. The most infamous moment came in 1989, when Ozzy drunkenly attempted to strangle Sharon. He spent three months in rehab afterwards.
In 1991, Ozzy released the single “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” a power love ballad made in honor of Sharon. Co-written by Zakk Wylde and Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, the song got Ozzy unprecedented exposure on the radio and MTV and became his only solo Top 40 hit single.
In 1996, Ozzy and Sharon launched Ozzfest, with Ozzy, Slayer, Danzig and Sepultura as the headlining acts. Ozzfest became one of the most successful festival tours in metal history. It ran annually until 2008 and has been brought back intermittently since then, most recently in Tokyo in 2015.
In 2002, the Osbourne family — with the except of eldest daughter Aimee — starred in the MTV reality series “The Osbournes.” The series ran for three years and gained Sharon mainstream fame, particularly after she was diagnosed with and recovered from colon cancer during the show’s second season.
Sharon’s newfound TV success led to her become a judge and mentor on the U.K. version of “The X Factor” from 2004 to 2007. After leaving that show, she became a judge on “America’s Got Talent” from 2007 to 2012.
During an Ozzfest show in San Bernardino, California, in 2005, a headlining set by Iron Maiden was interrupted by the band’s power being cut and eggs thrown from the crowd. After the set, Sharon came onstage and called Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson “a prick” who “disrespected Ozzfest since they began their stint with the tour.” This led to allegations that she deliberately sabotaged the performance in retaliation for alleged comments against Ozzy and reality TV. Dickinson later denied disrespecting Ozzy, but called “The Osbournes” a “loathsome” TV show.
In a 2009 interview with the Daily Telegraph, Ozzy spoke in detail about his relationship with Sharon. “If it weren’t for her,” he said, “without a shadow of a doubt, I would be dead.”
Sharon found success on daytime TV in 2010 when she joined the CBS show “The Talk.” Osbourne has received three Daytime Emmy nominations along with her co-hosts for their work on the show.
In 2011, Ozzy reformed the original lineup of Black Sabbath with Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, though drummer Bill Ward dropped out for contractual reasons. Sabbath released a new album “13,” which went #1 in nine countries, including the U.S. and U.K.
In an interview with Eddie Trunk, Ward said Ozzy and Sharon were why he chose not to return to Sabbath. Ozzy claimed that Ward was not in proper physical condition to record and tour, but Ward said that Ozzy’s claims were not true and that Sharon was behind an “unsignable” contract for his return.
In 2013, Ozzy wrote on Facebook that he had relapsed back into drug and alcohol abuse, but denied rumors that he was divorcing Sharon. He apologized to his family and friends for his behavior.
In 2015, Black Sabbath announced a farewell tour entitled “The End,” with Ozzy’s solo band drummer Tommy Clufetos filling in for Ward. The band released a final EP available exclusively on tour.
On May 8, 2016, it was reported that Ozzy and Sharon were separating after 33 years of marriage. Two days later, Sharon confirmed the split on “The Talk” by saying: “I’ve got to follow my heart and I don’t even know what my heart is telling me right now. I’m just trying to take it all in, process it and do it calmly and in a timely fashion.”
