The Tragic Truth About The Osbourne Family

Ozzy Osbourne already had a large following way before he and his family starred in the hit reality show "The Osbournes." As the former frontman of Black Sabbath, he made a name for himself in the heavy metal world before he went solo in the late '70s. However, leaving the band that made him famous wasn't by choice. The singer's excessive drinking and drug abuse got him kicked out. "I've always been self-medicating because I've never liked the way I felt. I've had great success in my life, but I've never felt great about myself," Ozzy told Variety.

Tragically, his family also had to deal with his substance abuse over the years, and his children, Jack and Kelly Osbourne, had their own struggles with it as well. Although fans saw the lighthearted side of the Osbourne family in "The Osbournes," the show also depicted heavier topics such as Sharon Osbourne's colon cancer diagnosis and Ozzy's ATV accident that left him seriously injured. It's safe to say that the Osbourne family has led a very colorful life, and many of the things they've experienced are heartbreaking.

Sharon Osbourne met Ozzy Osbourne at the height of his career, and not only did she end up becoming his wife, but she was his manager as well. Sharon opened up to The Daily Mail about the female fans who threw themselves at Ozzy during his heyday. "I was so used to it because that was the world I knew. That's what comes along with being famous. It was always there," she stated. However, she learned to accept his infidelities and shared, "I was always like, 'Wear a condom and never ask names or addresses. You don't want to know.' When it gets to something more personal than that, then it's a problem. Then I'm not going to turn a blind eye."

Unfortunately, things did get personal between Ozzy and hairstylist Michelle Pugh, causing him and Sharon to split in 2016. This time, it wasn't just a dalliance but a full-on affair for four years. "When I say he gave me the greatest love of my life, I mean it. He made me feel like the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world," Pugh shared with People. After a brief separation, Ozzy and Sharon got back together and renewed their vows a year later. Sharon told Hello!, "It was hard to rebuild the trust, but I can't imagine my life without Ozzy."

When "The Osbournes" was filmed, the eldest sibling Aimee Osbourne was 16 years old and chose not to star on the show with the rest of the family. In fact, she didn't want to deal with the cameras at all and she moved out of the house, which Sharon Osbourne regrets. "She was happy, but it broke my heart when she moved," the Osbourne matriarch shared on "The Talk" (via People). In 2015, Aimee revealed that she doesn't have a relationship with her siblings, Jack and Kelly Osbourne. "I wouldn't say there is an ease between us, but there is an acceptance. Do we socialize? No," she told The Independent.

Sharon stated to The Times UK that Aimee doesn't want to live her life in the spotlight. "It's not her. The kids don't get on [with her] and I'm not going to ... say they do." During an appearance on Dax Shepard's podcast "Armchair Expert," Kelly revealed why things are strained between her and Aimee. "We don't talk. We're just really different. She doesn't understand me and I don't understand her," she stated.

Right after welcoming his first daughter Pearl Clementine with his now ex-wife Lisa Stelly, Jack Osbourne learned that he had multiple sclerosis. "I was just angry and frustrated and kept thinking, 'Why now?' I've got a family and that's what's supposed to be the most important thing," the reality star told People in 2012. Jack soon learned to accept the diagnosis and shared with Hello!, "Being angry and upset is not going to do anything at this point, if anything it's only going to make it worse ... 'adapt and overcome' is my new motto."

Jack, who has celebrated 20 years of sobriety, enlisted the help of his sober crew to get him to a positive mindset about having multiple sclerosis. A close friend asked Jack if he was going to die within the next two days and when he told him "No," his buddy stated, "Well, call me tomorrow," per Variety. 

Jack declared, "I have no guarantee what my life will look like in five, 10, or 15 years. So I just try and focus on what's right in front of me."

Kelly Osbourne has had to deal with scrutiny over her appearance since she starred on "The Osbournes," and she's been open about her struggles with her weight. Her pregnancy, however, was something she kept fairly private, as she was afraid of being body-shamed. When the "Dancing with the Stars" alum posted a picture of her slimmed-down figure on Instagram after having her baby in November 2022, a fan asked why she never shared a pic while pregnant. "There are no pictures of me pregnant because I hid for 9 months because I did not want to get fat shamed," was her tragic reply.

Kelly revealed to Fox News that she hid out at her father Ozzy Osbourne's house and while she enjoyed her pregnancy, adding, "But there was no way I was going to go out and about and have people see me and shame me because I was so big." The "Beat Shazam" DJ pointed out that the media have always talked about her body since she was a teen and referred to her as "Ozzy's chubby daughter." In 2021, she put the National Enquirer on blast for an email the publication sent her that forewarned her about an upcoming article regarding her weight gain, per Today. "Feel free to email [the editor-in-chief] Dan [Dolan] and tell him what you think about fat shaming me," Kelly wrote in her Instagram Stories.

Ozzy Osbourne has had many health issues over the years, including a nasty fall that required neck surgery and the aforementioned ATV accident that almost took his life. On top of that, he revealed in 2020 that he had been living with Parkinson's disease. Ozzy shared on "Good Morning America" that he was on medication for the disease but still experiences a loss of sensation in one of his arms and coldness in his legs. "I don't know if that's the Parkinson's or what, you know, but that's — see, that's the problem. Because they cut nerves when they did the surgery. I'd never heard of nerve pain, and it's a weird feeling," he speculated.

Because of his disease, Ozzy had to cancel his tours and spoke to Rolling Stone about his declining health. "At best, I've got ten years left and when you're older, time picks up speed. Me and Sharon had our 41st wedding anniversary recently, and that's just unbelievable to me!" he mused. 

Sharon Osbourne stated that she couldn't picture life without her husband and added, "It's unthinkable to me."

It's no secret Kelly Osbourne has struggled with addiction, and during a 2021 appearance on "Red Table Talk," she opened up about relapsing after being sober for four years. "I made it all the way through [the COVID-19 pandemic]," Kelly stated. What triggered her relapse was seeing a couple enjoying a glass of champagne and thinking to herself that she could have just one. However, two glasses turned into drinking whole bottles of champagne. Kelly recalled just how early her substance abuse began. When she was 13, she had tonsil surgery and was prescribed Vicodin, which gave her a huge confidence boost. Soon, prescription medicine became too expensive so she started taking illegal drugs. "I got caught buying it and the very next day my mom put me in rehab," the "Celebrity Game Face" contestant confessed.

Speaking on her 2021 relapse, Kelly told Extra that she had a "nervous breakdown" as the lockdown started to lift. While everything in her life was fine, she stated, "I'm that girl that when everything is going great I need to f*** it up a little and make everything a little bit worse in my life." On May 27, 2022, Kelly celebrated one year of sobriety and wrote on Instagram, "What a difference a year can make! If you would have told me 365 days ago that I would be sober, happy, and about to be a mumma I would have laughed in your face. Life is truly amazing when you do the work."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).