Sharon Osbourne Denies Role In Ward Dispute
Plus Bill's son launches staunch defence of his father
In a post on Twitter Ozzy's wife denied rumours that she had been involved in the contract dispute which is currently threatening to sideline Bill Ward from the Black Sabbath reunion.
She said: "I am not in any position to hire or fire anyone in Black Sabbath. I don’t manage the band, I manage my husband”.
Meanwhile, Bill's son Aron has taken to Facebook to defend his father's current stance:
"The press is spinning this sh*tstorm to read as if my dad has quit. This is not true. The guys know that. That's why they said the door is ALWAYS open.
"My dad hasn't 'declined' playing with Black Sabbath or 'threatened' to pull out of this reunion. As he stated, his bags are packed and he's ready to go. He says it loud and clear, he definitely wants to play on the album and he definitely wants to tour.
"Up 'till about three weeks ago, he was working extremely hard and close with the other three on this album/reunion tour. He was in very good spirits and sounded excited to be writing with Tony, Geezer and Ozzy again.
"'Don't be so greedy': he is by no means greedy, man. If he was, he would have settled with whatever contract given him. It's kind of obvious someone else is greedy. Wake up. He lives in a modest home in Southern California. Pays rent like the rest of us. In case you're still blind, look at it this way — sadly, the current 'Sabbath' statement reads as if someone would rather see the remaining members play in front of thousands of disappointed, confused and resentful fans then give my dad a dignified agreement. Additionally, the record sales will be severely affected because it isn't the promised original lineup. All this because of someone's inability to respect him as the committed founding member he is. This has derailed the fans' hopes of seeing the original lineup and strongly divided the fans. What a way to f**k up such a powerful, influential and inspirational legacy for the rest of time.
"To Terry (a.k.a. Geezer my godfather), Ozzy (my friend when I was little) and Tony (towering hero), I hope that you will listen to your fans. They want all of you together. As YOU are Black Sabbath, so is my Dad. I hope you guys can work it out."