Sharon Osbourne

Today is Sharon Osbourne’s birthday.
I’ve always had a very warm feeling in my heart for Sharon. Although we’ve never met, hers and Ozzy’s love story has inspired me for years. Without her, Ozzy’s entire career — and probably, by his estimation, his life — would have ended following his departure from Black Sabbath. Sharon has been his rock.
This matters to me because Ozzy’s music helped get me through the second decade of my life. I had the whole catalog, and followed all the changes in band members, different set designs, costumes, sounds… his posters always up on my wall… in constant awe of his talent. Sharon was always there. I don’t think he would have achieved a fraction of the success without her love and brilliant management.
At 17, I was extremely fortunate to see Ozzy in concert. He was incredible. The performance was packed with quality. Sounded great. I believe that’s the best concert value I’ve had to date. His craziness didn’t impinge at all on delivering fantastic singing and engaging the audience all the time. I’m sure he largely has Sharon to thank for that! He was perfectly crazy — perfectly Ozzy.
When the reality show came on the air, I didn’t watch much of it at all. That might sound strange, so faithfully had I followed Sharon and Ozzy’s story since I was a kid. I’m not much of a voyeur, and I think watching the show would have felt like snooping through the lives of dear friends. The way I feel when I listen to «Diary of a Madman» and «Revelation Mother Earth» is so personal, so goose-​bump inducing, that I want to respect the privacy of the people who made those songs, even if they have put their lives up for public broadcast. However, I’m really glad that the show was so popular and that people who might not have known about them prior, got a chance to get to know the Osbournes.
«Mama I’m Coming Home» was about Sharon. It’s one of the best songs ever made. It converted people into Ozzy fans who didn’t like metal, and previously couldn’t have picked Ozzy out of a lineup. Ozzy for the generation that wasn’t aware of his Black Sabbath or Randy Rhoads era. I really think it’s impossible to dislike. You can’t listen to it without feeling the Sharon-​ness of the song.
I really appreciate Sharon calling so much attention to the importance of early detection for colon cancer. Colon cancer screenings went way up as a result. Thanks, Sharon! Who knows how many lives you saved and are continuing to save.
Happy birthday, Sharon! Thanks for teaching the world about love and humanness by your personal, uncensored, persistent example.