One year after Ozzy Osbourne’s death, Sharon Osbourne is reflecting on the man behind the legend and the marriage that defined more than four decades of her life.
Sharon was married to the Prince of Darkness for 43 years, from 1982 until his death on July 22, 2025. Speaking with the BBC from Ozzy’s hometown of Birmingham on the anniversary, she described her late husband as authentic through and through, someone who never pretended to be anything other than exactly who he was.
In Life and Beyond
The Black Sabbath frontman and solo rock icon passed away July 22, 2025, at age 76, just over two weeks after playing his final live show at Birmingham’s Villa Park. His death was later confirmed to be the result of a heart attack, with coronary heart disease and Parkinson’s disease also cited among contributing factors.
“He never tried to be anything other than what he was, and he would tell you the truth about everything and that was him, you knew where you were with him.”
“He was just genuine, so genuine and funny,” she added.
She also shared a telling detail about their marriage: even their worst arguments would eventually dissolve into laughter. Sharon said Ozzy had a knack for saying something so absurd mid-fight that the tension simply broke.
“He was just a real bloke, a really good bloke with a big heart and he wanted to give back,” she said.
Speaking with BBC Radio WM on the anniversary, Sharon said she hopes fans will remember Ozzy for how funny, charismatic, and genuine he was. She shared his own preferred way of being remembered, quoting him as saying, “When you want to remember me, just yank up the music really loud, as loud as you can get it, and just head bang.”
Continuing Philanthropy
Ozzy’s final concert at Villa Park also acted as a charity benefit concert. Cure Parkinson’s, Acorns Children’s Hospice, and Birmingham Children’s Hospital were among the beneficiaries. Sharon confirmed that their support for these charities “would go on.”
“We will continue that until we find a cure for Parkinson’s, because people don’t realize it’s more and more prevalent,” she said. The Birmingham Children’s Hospital also happens to be the same place where Ozzy was treated for whooping cough for six weeks when he was a child.
Beginning and Ending In Birmingham
The anniversary and Sharon’s comments coincide with Birmingham’s first-ever official “Ozzy Day,” a free city-wide celebration of music, memories, and tributes honoring Osbourne’s life and his deep roots in the city. Sharon said she was thrilled to see Birmingham host the celebration, calling it the true home of metal and the only place the tribute could really work, given how much Ozzy loved the city and its people.
The same ensemble band that played Ozzy’s funeral procession will return to perform in tribute to the rock legend during the Ozzy Day celebrations.
The anniversary caps a year filled with posthumous tributes to Osbourne’s legacy. Sharon and daughter Kelly accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 BRITs earlier this year, and the family previously received Birmingham’s Lord Mayor’s Award on his behalf on what would have been his 77th birthday.
Through it all, Sharon’s message today is a simple one: rather than mourning quietly, she’s asking fans to do exactly what Ozzy would have wanted. Turn the volume up and remember him the way he lived, loudly and unapologetically.
