Ozzy Osbourne: 'I wouldn’t be alive without Sharon'
Ozzy Osbourne says he owes everything to his wife and manager Sharon and he “wouldn't be alive” without her.
Speaking at a question-and-answer session to promote his upcoming expansive solo LP box set See You On The Other Side – released on 29th November - Ozzy was asked if he ever dreamt he’d still be in the music business today when Black Sabbath first started out 51 years ago.
“Absolutely! I knew, I thought, 'Oh, this will do!' When the first Black Sabbath album got in the charts, it was the first time I ever got success,” Ozzy exclaimed.
“I figured it would end, but we were picked up by various magazines and I thought, 'This will be good for a few years. Partying every night, women, and wine and rock'n'roll.' Here we are, 50 years up the road.”
Ozzy went on to heap praise on Sharon, whom he married in 1982: “I know that without a shadow of a doubt though, if it wasn't for my wife Sharon, I wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't be alive.
“She pushed me when I needed it. She yelled at me when I needed it. At the time I didn't think I wanted to be yelled at, but in the long run, you got to get off your butt and you got to get to what you're here to do. And I believe that's what I'm here to do!”
Commenting on the early days of their relationship when they were hard up, Ozzy added: “When we started off, I can remember, we were both broke, no credit cards, nothing. We'd have all the cash from the gig in a briefcase and we'd have to stay in these really cheap hotels.
“The briefcase with cash in it was handcuffed to my wrist because if we got ripped off, we were done. But it was fun because we had nothing to lose, and everything to gain! We'd beg, borrow, and steal.”
Last month, Sharon Osbourne confirmed Ozzy will release his first solo album in a decade in January 2020. The album was recorded this year while Ozzy was recovering from a serious fall in his bedroom, which required surgery on his neck.
Due to his prolonged period of recovery, Ozzy postponed his UK and European tour in early 2020 for a second time at the start of October.
It’s currently unclear when the UK and Ireland dates with Judas Priest will be rearranged for.