"We've come to a decision that you've got to die," said the singer to Sharon Osbourne.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on June 18, 2021. It has since been updated.
Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of domestic abuse that may be disturbing.
No matter how much you love your partner, some bad habits can bring out the worst in you and damage your relationship. Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne have had such moments in their long marriage. Fortunately, despite the lows, the couple has always managed to find their way back to each other.
In an interview with The Guardian, Sharon revealed that her husband's alcohol and drug addiction got the best of him in the 80s. The addiction became so bad that the Black Sabbath singer tried to strangle Sharon with the intention to kill her.
Recalling the frightening episode, Sharon stated, "I had no idea who sat across from me on the sofa but it wasn't my husband. He gets to a stage where he gets this look in his eyes where his shutters are down and I couldn't get through to him," according to Fox News.
She continued, "He just says, 'We've come to a decision that you've got to die.' He was calm, very very calm and he lunged across at me."
Luckily, the former talk show host pressed the panic button next to her. Consequently, police arrived at the scene and took Ozzy into custody.
However, Ozzy was unaware of his own actions. The singer who sobered up asked the police officials about his arrest. "That day when I woke up in this little single cell with human sh-- up the walls — and I thought, what the f--k have I done now? Has one of my practical jokes backfired? So I asked a police officer," recounted Ozzy, according to Evening Standard.
He continued, "I said: 'What am I here for?' I hadn't got a f---ing clue. It's the most horrific feeling. He read me a piece of paper, and said, 'You're charged with attempting to murder Mrs. Sharon Osbourne.' I can't tell you how I felt. I just went numb."
In the days that followed, Ozzy went into rehab. Sharon, on the other hand, decided against pressing charges. However, she warned her husband before accepting him back into her life.
"I was looking at all the options left in my life. I was looking at everything. What is going to be the best for my kids? What is going to be the best for me?" said Sharon. She continued, “I told him, ‘I don’t want the money … but if you do this again, either I am going to kill you or you are going to kill me. And do you want that for the kids?’”
Sharon, who has two daughters and a son with the singer, also could not think of a life without him around.
Later, Sharon stated that she had a feeling her husband would do something worse under the influence of alcohol and drugs. "I just knew it was coming. We'd had a couple of fights and you can tell it was building to something, you could just feel it," she added. Sharon claimed that the incident had a lasting impression on her. "It was probably the most frightened I've ever been," said the former X factor judge.
Ozzy, on the other hand, was scared of himself after the horrific episode. Returning from rehab, the singer watched his own steps to avert such situations. "Ozzy was very frightened when he came out and when he was in his house, he definitely watched what he was doing. He frightened himself,” said Sharon.
Recounting the horrifying event, Ozzy stated, "I felt the calmest I've ever felt in my life. It was like serenity. Everything was just peaceful." He added, "It's not exactly one of my greatest f--king achievements."
Sharon and Ozzy met each other in 1971 after Sharon's father, Don Arden began managing Black Sabbath. Years later, the couple started dating and Sharon became the artist's manager after he was fired from the band, according to Good House Keeping. Eventually, they tied the knot in 1982.
Over the years, Sharon and Ozzy have gone through nothing less than a roller coaster ride. But, they have tried to rectify their mistakes and live together for more than 38 years.
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,3605,495951,00.html
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/ozzy-osbourne-talks-moment-strangled-sharon-attempted-murder
https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/the-day-i-tried-to-kill-sharon-6584234.html
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a33832416/sharon-ozzy-osbourne-marriage-kids/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photos by Staff