Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne lived the spectrum of their vows to each other a hundred times over.
“It’s incredible to think that I’ve had more of my life with Ozzy in it than without him,” Sharon, who met the Black Sabbath frontman when she was 18, told Rolling Stone in 2023. “I just can’t think of my life without him in it. It’s unthinkable for me.”
But the now 73-year-old knew it was a looming possibility. Ozzy died July 22 at 76, five years after sharing his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
“It’s just been heartbreaking for me to see my husband in a position where he’s not self-sufficient, he needs help,” Sharon, who wed Ozzy in 1982, told the Daily Mail in 2023. “He was so vibrant, with such a zest for life. But you learn to adapt.”
And she had experience adjusting to fit the moment, her marriage to music’s “Prince of Darkness” falling nowhere within the realm of easy. But it was the life she chose and—even though she pressed pause on it a few times—she stuck with her true love until the end.
“I’ve never loved anyone as much as I’ve loved him,” Sharon told Rolling Stone, “Our relationship hasn’t been rainbows and roses the whole time, and it’s been really tough. But that’s life, isn’t it? I just know that my life is better with my husband in it than it is without him.”
Though she met the then-22-year-old rocker (born John Michael Osbourne) in 1970, when her father Don Arden was Black Sabbath‘s manager, their romance didn’t blossom until almost a decade later when she began managing Ozzy’s career.
Together, the parents of Aimee Osbourne, 42, Kelly Osbourne, 40, and Jack Osbourne, 39, weathered his substance abuse issues and multiple trips to rehab, his infidelity, her battle with colon cancer, Jack’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis and everything else they encountered.
Their relationship also survived The Osbournes, the hit MTV reality show that followed the profanity-laced lives of Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack (Aimee took a hard pass) from 2002 to 2005.
Still, life with Ozzy had its challenges, Sharon taking a month off from The Talk in 2015 amid what her rep called at the time “mental and physical fatigue.”
It was “just life,” she told Howard Stern about her retreat from the spotlight. “I couldn’t take it. My head fused.”
They separated the following year, but Ozzy was quick to call it “a bump in the road.”
“It’s back on track again” he said on Good Morning America in July 2016. “Some days are good. Some days are terrible. Some days you just drift apart for a while but you get back on the horse.”
His fairer half would agree.
“No relationship is easy, and you have to work at it,” Sharon told E! News in 2023. “You get your ugly times, your bad times and your horrific times. But if you love each other enough, you’ll work through.”
In their final years together, they relished being grandparents, Jack a father of four daughters—Pearl, Andy and Minnie with ex-wife Lisa Stelly and Maple with wife Aree Gearhart—and Kelly sharing son Sidney with fiancé Sid Wilson.
“I never had a chance to see much of my kids growing up because I was always on the road,” Ozzy told Rolling Stone in 2023. “But being at home has allowed me to do that as a grandad, and little Sid is just f–king great.”
“I do count my lucky stars,” he added. “I don’t know why I’m still here and I do sometimes think I’m on borrowed time. I said to Sharon the other day, ‘What a great f–king life we’ve had and what a great fucking experience.’”
See Ozzy’s remarkable life in pictures:
1969
Before being known as Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Tommy Iommi performed under the name Earth.
1970
The heavy metal band members were ready to rock as they posed for this shot.
1972
Ozzy, born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham, England, in 1948, struggled with school early on. It was his passion for music that ultimately helped him move forward.
“I left school with a little more education than when I first started going,” he told The Associated Press in 2010. “Because of my dyslexia, I couldn’t learn. So, I was teased a lot by one of my sister about not bing able to read. It’s very shameful.”
“If it wasn’t for The Beatles turning me onto music in a big way, I don’t know what I would have done,” he continued. “Music has been the main thing that got me out of the area, the place I was born.”
1973
In 1968, he and his friends formed Black Sabbath, inspired by the film of the same name, with their self-titled debut album earning major commercial success. In 1971, he married his first wife Thelma Riley, with whom he shared kids Jessica Osbourne, Louis Osbourne and ElliotKingsley.
1974
The “Paranoid” singer, donning shiny pants embellished with a snake, embraced the crowd during the band’s set at the California Jam music festival.
1975
Black Sabbath walked the streets of London in style.
1976
The band performed at the iconic Hammersmith Odeon—now named the Eventim Apollo—in London.
1977
Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill were all smiles as they showed off their silver recording certification for Technical Ecstasy.
1980
Ozzy was happy to sink his teeth into a macabre photo shoot. He was fired from Black Sabbath the year before due to his struggles with alcohol and drug abuse.
“Money would be the alcohol and the drugs and I behaved badly,” he said in his documentary Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne of that time. “That was one of the lowest points of my life.”
1982
Ozzy—as a solo artist—took the stage at Madison Square Garden for his Diary of a Madman tour, just two days after he infamously bit into a dead bat that was thrown onto the stage, which he believed was fake.
“I just thought it was a rubber bat,” Ozzy said in the documentary, “and I just put it in my mouth and crunched down. I just f–king bit into it, you know, being the f–king clown that I am [and was like], ‘Oh no! It’s real.'”
Later that year, he married his manager, Sharon Arden.
1983
The “Iron Man” singer, donning his iconic dark eyeliner, posed with a cigarette before a performance in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Ozzy and Sharonwelcomed their first child together, Aimee Osbourne.
1984
Ozzy and Motlëy Crüe’s Vince Neil posed after performing for their Bark at the Moon tour. Ozzy and Sharon welcomed their daughter Kelly Osbourne.
1985
Ozzy and Sharon, who tied the knot in 1982, were in paradise as they vacationed in Brazil. They also welcomed their son, Jack Osbourne.
1986
Posing for pics before a performance in Chicago on July 13, 1986.
1987
Ozzy at home with Sharon and their kids Kelly, Jack and Aimee.
1988
The British star showcased his ’80s rockstar hair for this portrait in his garden in May 1988.
1989
In August 1989, Ozzy’s band performed at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in Russia.
1991
The singer proved he was a style icon as he posed in round-rimmed sunglasses and a black and red theatrical military-inspired ensemble.
1992
Black Sabbath made its mark as the band members left their handprints at the Rock Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.
1995
Ozzy sang his heart out at Terminal 1 in Munich, Germany.
1997
A portrait of the Osbourne family at their luxury home in Beverly Hills.
1998
Black Sabbath proved their bond was forever as they celebrated 30 years as a band. Ozzy had rejoined one year earlier.
1999
In 1999, the rocker attended the unveiling of the Ozzy Osbourne Action Figure at McFarlane Toy Showroom in New York City.
2000
The Grammy-winner rocked his signature black leather style at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
2003
Ozzy and Sharon’s lives were on full display for the past year as they starred in their reality TV show The Osbournes from 2002 until 2005.
2006
Kelly proved she was daddy’s little girl as she attended Black Sabbath’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2012
Ozzy performed at the Gods of Metal Festival in Milan, Italy.
2015
Ozzy and Sharon attended the premiere of Amy at ArcLight Cinemas in Los Angeles.
One year later, Ozzy and Sharon had taken a break after the latter had cheated on his wife. The couple ultimately reconciled, with Ozzy sharing on Good Morning America that they were “back on track again.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had emphasized that Sharon was, in fact, the One.
“She’s the only one I’ve ever loved in my life,” he said of his wife during his documentary. “I mean, she’s my soulmate.”
2018
The rock legend was glowing as he announced his No More Tours II: Final World Tour during a press conference.
2019
Ozzy looked back at his star-studded life, realizing that he had done a lot during his 50-year career.
“I never thought I’d make it this far,” he told Rolling Stone in 2018 while reflecting on his career. “I don’t understand why I’m alive still after the hell-raising days. I guess whoever the man is upstairs, if there even is one, wants me to stick around.”
(Originally published July 22, 2025, at 1:54 p.m. PT)
