It was announced earlier today that Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76.
‘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,’ read the announcement from his family.
‘He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family’s privacy at this time.’
The news has devastated fans who have been long supporters of the Black Sabbath icon.
Sharon Osbourne announced the sad news about her husband’s passing, with fans already making gestures to support the TV personality.
Here’s everything you need to know about her enduring marriage to the Black Sabbath star and their romance that spanned several decades.
When did Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne get married?
Sharon and Osbourne tied the knot in Hawaii on July 4, 1982 – meaning that they had celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary just weeks before Osbourne’s death.
The couple met in 1970 when her father managed the singer’s band Black Sabbath.
In 1979, her father fired Osbourne from the band because of substance issues. In the same year, Osbourne also spent three months in a hotel under the influence until Sharon stepped in and helped him recover, later becoming his manager.
Sharon worked as his manager for the rest of his life, and is credited with reviving her career. In fact, it was her idea to have his final ever performance, Back to the Beginning, which took place just weeks before his death.
Speaking about Ozzy’s final performance after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease back in 2003, Sharon, insisted there’s ‘no way on God’s green earth’ that there will be another show for the band.
She told Billboard: ‘I’ve been doing this since I was 15, and I’m done. We just want to live our life and do what we want to do and not have to follow an itinerary anymore.’
‘He kept saying, “It’s my one regret,” and “I want a chance to really say thank you,”‘ she explained.
‘And this is what we thought would be the best way to do it. It’s a celebration of Ozzy and Sabbath and the music.’
Speaking about meeting her husband, Sharon told AXS TV: ‘I met Ozzy when I was around 18.’
She admitted it wasn’t love at first sight and felt his band were ‘odd and hairy’, and she found it nerve-wracking to be around them.
‘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.’
And how did they get together? She said it was 1980 and a bit of a workplace romance: ‘We were working together and it just became something else.’
She added: ‘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 also admitted: ‘It was tough because Ozzy was married and had two children’
Who was Ozzy Osbourne’s ex-wife Thelma Riley?
Ozzy Osbourne’s first wife was named Thelma Riley. The couple met in 1971 at a Birmingham nightclub where she worked.
They married the year that they met and then had two children together, named Jessica and Louis. Osbourne 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 remember when his eldest children, Jessica and Louis, were born.
Sharon claimed previously that Thelma didn’t divorce Osbourne because of his affair with Sharon, but because of his alcohol abuse.
How many children did Ozzy Osbourne have?
Osbourne has six children in total. The star had two biological children from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, Jessica Osbourne, 53, and Louis Osbourne, 50.
He adopted Elliot Kingsley, 59, Thelma’s son from a previous relationship.
With Sharon, Osbourne had three children, Aimee Osbourne, 41, Kelly Osbourne, 40, and Jack Osbourne, 39.
The singer was also grandfather to Louis’ kids Elijah and Maia, and Jessica’s kids Isabelle, Harry and Kitty, Jack’s children Pearl, Andy, Minnie, and Maple, and Kelly’s son Sidney.
Did Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon briefly split?
In 2016, it was rumoured that the couple briefly split after it was alleged that Ozzy had an affair.
In an interview with Good Morning America months later, the singer claimed that they had hit a ‘bump in the road’ but were ‘back on track’.
‘You just, you make mistakes, and you learn by your mistakes, I think,’ he said.
‘It’s just a bump in the road,’ he added. ‘Some days it’s good, some days it’s terrible, some days you just drift apart for a while. But you get back on the horse, you know.’
The same day (July 25, 2016), Sharon confirmed they were back on track and her husband was ‘very embarrassed and ashamed about his conduct.’
‘I can’t speak for him but for me but, yes, I forgive,’ she said on The Talk.
‘It’s going to take a long time to trust but, you know, we’ve been together 36 years, 34 of marriage, and it’s more than half of my life and I just can’t think of my life without him.’
‘He’s going to pay for it though, big time,’ she added.
In an interview before his death, Sharon spoke about her enduring relationship with her husband.
She told The Mirror: ‘We have been together for over 50 years. I have stuck by him because I love him. It is simple. I understand him and why he does the things he does.’
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