How did Ozzy Osbourne’s affair with Michelle Pugh affect his marriage with Sharon? Relationship turmoils revisited as singer passes away at 76
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Ozzy Osbourne (Photo: Instagram/@ozzyosbourne)Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, lovingly called the Prince of Darkness by fans, has passed away at 76. The singer's wife, Sharon, and their children announced his death in an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
While the details surrounding his passing were not revealed, the message noted he died "surrounded by love," adding:
"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."
Osbourne married his manager, Sharon Arden, in July 1982. While the pair met in 1970, they did not get together until the musician divorced his first wife, Thelma Riley. Ozzy and Sharon share three kids.
Despite their lasting relationship, their marriage had its ups and downs. This included Ozzy Osbourne attempting to strangle her and his affair with hairstylist Michelle Pugh.
The latter nearly drove Sharon to suicide, and the pair briefly separated before reuniting.
Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne's relationship through the years
Ozzy Osbourne met Sharon Arden through her father, Don Arden, who managed his heavy metal band Black Sabbath in the 1970s.
Towards the end of the decade, the group let go of Osbourne due to his repeated substance abuse. At the time, Sharon began managing the singer as he embarked on his solo career.
The pair tied the knot in a ceremony in Hawaii in July 1982, just months after he divorced Thelma Riley. A year later, the couple welcomed their daughter Aimee.
It is worth noting that Sharon adopted Osbourne's kids Elliot, Louis, and Jessica from his marriage with Riley.
In October 1984, Sharon gave birth to daughter Kelly, and a year later to Jack. Aimee has kept her private life out of the public eye.
Meanwhile, both Kelly and Jack have starred in the MTV reality show, The Osbournes, alongside their parents.
Kelly has appeared in several shows like Project Catwalk and Dancing with the Stars. She also has dropped two studio albums.
In 1898, Ozzy Osbourne almost strangled Sharon to death while under the influence of drugs. In the musician's 2020 documentary, Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon explained he allegedly told her:
"We’ve come to a decision that you’ve got to die."
He then lunged at her, attempting to strangle her. Sharon tried to "feel for stuff on the table" and found the "panic button." Cops soon arrived and took the musician into custody. Recalling the moment, she explained:
"I had no idea who was sat across from me on the sofa but it wasn’t my husband. He goes to a stage where he gets that look in his eyes, the shutters were down and I just couldn’t get through to him."
In the documentary, Osbourne noted it wasn't "one of (his) greatest achievements." Eventually, Sharon did not press charges against her husband and decided to stay married.
The rock icon spent six months in medical detention.
Around 2013, rumors of the couple divorcing began circulating online. At the time, Ozzy Osbourne put out a statement on Facebook clarifying they were still together.
He explained that he had been "drinking and taking drugs" over the last year and a half but was sober.
In May 2016, news of Osbourne's affair with Michelle Pugh made headlines.
During one of her recent Cut the Crap shows, Sharon explained she discovered the infidelity through emails, adding it lasted for almost four years. Quoting her, the New York Post wrote:
"He always, always had groupies and I was so used to that. But when he knows the name of the person, where they live and where they work… it is a whole different thing as you are emotionally invested. I took I don’t know how many pills."
Elaborating on her emotional turmoil, Sharon explained that her children had grown up, so she wasn't worried about them.
She added that she went on to take the "overdose" and locked herself in the bedroom. A maid later found her.
The couple briefly separated, with Ozzy Osbourne moving out of their home. They reunited by July 2016.
The pair renewed their vows in Las Vegas on Mother’s Day 2017, according to the NY Post.
In a September interview with The Telegraph the same year, Sharon revealed Osbourne cheated on her with six women.
The couple celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in July 2022.
Taking to BlabberMouth.net in January 2024, Ozzy Osbourne spoke about his love for Sharon. Calling her his "soulmate," he added:
"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 wanna f**kng kill her."
He continued to add that through it all, he loved her "more than anything in the world." He noted that he couldn't "than anything in the world" and didn't want to do so either.
According to Mirror, during a 2016 appearance on The Talk, Sharon explained feeling like a fool, "humiliated and belittled," due to Osbourne's affair. But added that she stayed because
"I'm not just his wife, I'm his manager. When he hit rock bottom I didn't walk away I pulled him through the mud and put him back on stage. $800 net worth but do you really think I stayed for mansions and champagne?"
Sharon stayed together with Ozzy Osbourne as he battled Parkinson's during the final years of his life.
Ozzy Osbourne is survived by Sharon and his six kids.
TOPICS: Ozzy Osbourne, Michelle Pugh, Sharon Osbourne, Black Sabbath
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