Why Did Ozzy Osbourne and Thelma Riley Divorce? How Many Times Did He Marry?

Ozzy Osbourne’s personal life has been as eventful and storied as his legendary music career, including two marriages that reflect very different chapters of his journey. His first marriage to Thelma Riley in the early 1970s coincided with his early rise to fame as the frontman of Black Sabbath. But it ultimately ended in divorce. In 1982, Ozzy married Sharon Arden, who would become not only his wife but also his manager and fiercest advocate. Here’s what to know about Ozzy’s relationship history and why he and Riley parted ways.

Ozzy Osbourne married Thelma Riley in 1971

Ozzy Osbourne’s first marriage was to Thelma Riley. Their relationship began in the early 1970s when they met at a nightclub in Birmingham, England, where Riley worked.

“She was beautiful and I wanted to talk to her,” Ozzy wrote in his memoir, I Am Ozzy, according to People. “I pulled her on the dance floor.”

The couple married in 1971, just as Ozzy’s fame with Black Sabbath was beginning to skyrocket. Despite the demands of his rising career, Ozzy and Riley quickly started a family. Ozzy adopted Riley’s son from a previous relationship, Elliot. And together, they had two children of their own: Jessica and Louis Osbourne. Their home life provided Ozzy with his first experience of family stability, even as he navigated the chaos and pressures of life as a rock star.

Ozzy spent much of his time touring. But his time at home was spent with Riley and the children. He spoke in later years about moments of both joy and struggle during this period. Jessica and Louis grew up largely out of the spotlight. And unlike Ozzy’s later children with Sharon Osbourne, they were not featured in his public life or reality television appearances.

Ozzy Osbourne and Thelma Riley divorced due to his ongoing substance abuse

Ozzy Osbourne and Thelma Riley’s marriage came to an end in the early 1980s. As Ozzy’s career with Black Sabbath took off in the 1970s, his lifestyle became increasingly chaotic, with constant touring, heavy partying, and substance abuse taking a toll on both his personal well-being and his family life. Although their marriage began with promise, the demands of Ozzy’s rock star lifestyle left little room for stability, and the strain gradually eroded their relationship.

Thelma, who maintained a relatively private life away from the spotlight, struggled with the impact of Ozzy’s erratic behavior and drug abuse. In later interviews, Ozzy himself admitted he was not the husband or father he should have been during that time. He often described himself as emotionally and physically unavailable, wrapped up in the whirlwind of fame and addiction. According to The Mirror, Ozzy referred to their marriage as a “mistake” due to his addictions. They divorced in 1982.

He married for a second time to Sharon Arden

Sharon Arden’s relationship with Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most enduring and iconic partnerships in rock history. The two first met in 1970 when Sharon was just 18 years old and Ozzy was fronting Black Sabbath. At the time, Sharon’s father, Don Arden, was managing the band, and she occasionally worked for him in the background. Their relationship, however, didn’t turn romantic until years later, after Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 and Sharon stepped in to manage his solo career. What began as a professional collaboration soon turned into a deep personal connection, with Sharon helping to rebuild Ozzy’s career from the ground up.

The couple married on July 4, 1982, in Maui, Hawaii, shortly after Ozzy finalized his divorce from his first wife, Thelma Riley. Their early years together were anything but smooth. Ozzy continued to struggle with substance abuse, and the pair often found themselves embroiled in explosive arguments, many of which were fueled by the chaos of fame and addiction. Still, Sharon remained fiercely committed to Ozzy, balancing the roles of wife, manager, and caretaker as she guided his solo career to global success.

“It’s incredible to think that I’ve had more of my life with Ozzy in it than without him,” Sharon told Rolling Stone. “I just can’t think of my life without him in it. It’s unthinkable for me. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I’ve loved him, and without that, there’s no hope of keeping a relationship together, is there? 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.”

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