Ozzy Osbourne may have been rock’s Prince of Darkness, but he was a devoted husband and father at heart.
Osbourne, whose death at age 76 was announced July 22, shot to fame as the frontman of the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath before launching a successful solo career in the 1980s.
Decades later, he became familiar to a new generation of fans thanks to “The Osbournes,” the early 2000s reality TV show he co-starred in alongside his wife, Sharon Osbourne, and two of the couple’s three children.
Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne met in 1970 when Sharon Osbourne’s father, Don Arden, was managing Black Sabbath, according to The Guardian.
Within a decade, Sharon Osbourne had begun dating the outrageous singer and taken over as his professional manager.
The longtime loves tied the knot on July 4, 1982, and welcomed three children: Aimee Osbourne, Jack Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne.
Despite the couple’s rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle — and Ozzy Osbourne’s well-publicized struggles with substance abuse and addiction — they were committed to spending the rest of their lives together, Sharon Osbourne revealed during a September 2022 interview with People.
“We never gave up on each other. I mean, I wasn’t a saint. Ozzy wasn’t a saint. I gave him as good as he gave me. We’re just meant to be,” she told the publication.
Read on to learn more about Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s enduring love story.
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne Met in 1970
Ozzy Osbourne met the former Sharon Levy in 1970, who was then 18, when Levy’s father, Don Arden, was managing Osbourne’s heavy metal band Black Sabbath.
The rocker wrote in his 2009 memoir “I Am Ozzy” that one advantage of having Arden manage his band was that he would be able to see his daughter Sharon “on a regular basis.”
“Almost immediately, I began falling in love with (Sharon) from a distance,” the rocker wrote. “It was that wicked laugh that got me. And the fact that she was so beautiful and glamorous — she wore fur coats and had diamonds dripping from everywhere.”
Their Romantic and Professional Relationship Began in 1979
Levy began dating Ozzy Osbourne in 1979 after her father fired him from Black Sabbath because of his struggle with substance abuse.
She soon took over management duties for his career and was instrumental in helping him launch his successful solo career with the 1980 solo debut album “Blizzard of Ozz.”
As Ozzy Osbourne’s manager, Sharon Osbourne would launch the famed OzzFest summer music tour in 1996, according to The Guardian.
Because of her success managing her husband, Sharon Osbourne would go on to represent several other high-profile rock acts, including The Smashing Pumpkins, Lita Ford and Motörhead.
The Couple Married in 1982 and Share 3 Kids
Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne married on July 4, 1982, and went on to welcome three children: Aimée Osbourne, born in 1983, Kelly Osbourne, born in 1984, and Jack Osbourne, born in 1985.
Ozzy Osbourne is also a father to three older children — Jessica, Louis and Elliot — from his marriage to his first wife, Thelma Riley.
Sharon Osbourne recalled their tumult — fueled, she said, by drug and alcohol use — in a 2001 interview with The Guardian.
“Our fights were legendary,” she told The Guardian. “We’d beat the s–t out of each other. At a gig, Ozzy would run off stage during a guitar solo to fight with me, then run back on to finish the song! We were in the gutter, morally, and I realized that if we both carried on, we’d wind up a washed-up pair of old drunks living in a hovel somewhere. So I stopped drinking.”
They Helped Popularize Reality TV with ‘The Osbournes’ in 2002
The couple would go on to help popularize the burgeoning reality television genre in 2002 when they invited a camera crew into their Beverly Hills mansion to film their own MTV series, “The Osbournes.”
The series gave viewers an all-access pass to the more domestic side of the aging rocker as he walked on a treadmill and snuggled with his small, misbehaved dogs.
The Couple Supported Each Other During Health Challenges
Sharon Osbourne stood by her husband’s side as he faced several heath challenges, including multiple surgeries, blood clots and a 2019 diagnoses of Parkinson’s disease.
The rocker also supported his wife in 2002 after she was diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. The TV personality underwent both surgery and chemotherapy to recover.
“It’s not enough to say I love Sharon. I owe my life to Sharon. The thought of losing her was unbearable. But I never gave up,” the singer wrote in “I Am Ozzy.”
“When something heavy like that happens, you get this force field around you, and things that would normally rattle your cage just don’t mean anything anymore.”
The Couple Celebrated 40 Years of Marriage in 2022
The couple celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in July 2022.
“40 Years Ago Today! Happy Anniversary My Love,” Ozzy Osbourne captioned a throwback photo from their wedding day.
Sharon Osbourne marked the occasion by posting a more recent pic of the pair holding hands in front of a fireplace.
“We first met when I was 18, over 52 years we have been friends, lovers, husband & wife, grandparents and soulmates. Always at each other’s side. I love you Ozzy,” she wrote.
Sharon Attended Ozzy’s Final Concert in July 2025
Sharon Osbourne attended her husband’s farewell concert, which she helped organize, on July 5, 2025 in his hometown of Birmingham, England.
The legendary rocker, who sang seated in a custom-made throne, performed for one last time with Black Sabbath after delivering a final set of his own solo hits at the show.
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