Never cross ‘ruthless’ Sharon Osbourne, says Ozzy’s Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler

‘Out of control’ Sharon Osbourne attacked an enemy with a shoe, sent poo in the post and executed ‘extreme’ revenge on hubby Ozzy’s rock rivals, according to a new book.

Sharon Osbourne, wife of legendary rocker Ozzy, evolved from being “a bit of a nutter” to become a ruthless survivor in a cut-throat industry – who would sabotage rivals’ gigs, send them faeces in the post and get physical in person.

The illuminating perspective comes from one of Ozzy’s longest-serving collaborators in famed pioneer metal band Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler, in a new memoir.

“Sharon was always feuding with people and you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of her, because she was very strong-willed and knew how to handle herself,” Butler writes in Into The Void.

‘Not a surprise they ended up together’ ... Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne.

“One time, she spotted an enemy at a gig, took her shoe off and started hitting him with it. The bloke, who I think was trying to sue her, was cowering on the floor, begging for mercy.”

Four-string maestro Butler, who forged a reputation as “the sensible one” in the hell-raising Sabbath, reveals Sharon – daughter of the band’s controversial manager Don Arden – was a loose cannon when they first met in the mid-1970s and that before Ozzy, she dated their guitarist Tony Iommi.

“She was alright, but a bit of a nutter. She was basically one of the lads, could drink with the best of us and was often out of control. I’ll always remember one night at the Rainbow, when she was so drunk that she started kicking some bloke’s Rolls-Royce in. Looking back, it’s not a surprise she and Ozzy ended up together.”

‘A bit of a nutter’ ... Sharon Osbourne in a moment of self-reflection.

Yet there was also an iron resolve to rocket-propel her husband’s career to greatness as a solo artist and during later reunions with Sabbath, which throughout its five decades was riven by in-fighting and lineup changes.

Butler, who acknowledges Sharon was “always friendly to me” and a mate to his own wife and manager Gloria, gives her the credit for succeeding.

“The music business is horrible and you have to be ruthless to thrive in it – and few people in the music business were more ruthless than Sharon,” he writes, adding: “Without Sharon, I think Ozzy would have gone the same way as Bill (Ward, Sabbath’s troubled drummer), or John Bonham or any number of other rock stars who died young.”

Rock revelations ... Geezer Butler on stage in Perth on Black Sabbath’s final tour. Photo by Ross Halfin.

Of the couple’s famous family reality TV show, Butler says: “I wasn’t that surprised by The Osbournes, because Sharon had always wanted to be famous. I actually thought the first season was hilarious. It showed Ozzy exactly how he was – he wasn’t putting on an act.

“After the show took off, Ozzy became a household name all over the world. I’d go round to his house and there would be paparazzi everywhere. Even old women knew who Ozzy Osbourne was. It didn’t bother me that Sharon became more famous than Ozzy, even.

“Before one gig in New York, there were about forty paparazzi outside the hotel and they completely ignored the four of us; they were only there to photograph Sharon. I found that hilarious.

Ozzy and the Aussies ... Black Sabbath at Adelaide Airport in 1971. L-R: Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

“Plus, Ozzy rejoining the band meant the fans he’d built up as a solo act, and from his TV show, were now seeking out Sabbath’s Ozzy-era records and coming to our gigs. It was like our fan base doubled overnight.”

Butler’s book, published by HarperCollins, is out in Australia today. It charts his journey from a happy childhood in a tough working-class suburb of Birmingham to the glory – and excesses – of heavy rock’s top tier, flirting with the supernatural, soccer (he is obsessed by his hometown club Aston Villa) with breakups and breakdowns along the way.

The renowned bassist has already revealed he had to cut “at least 50 pages” for legal reasons and because the “original manuscript was deemed unsuitable for modern readers”.

Hands off ... Sharon Osbourne, on CBS TV show The Talk. She was asked to leave after 11 years in 2021, amid claims her behaviour was not ‘respectful’ to her co-hosts.

However there’s plenty of spice left in, alongside amusing anecdotes and fascinating revelations about some of rock’s biggest names. Many centre on Ozzy and his wife, now an established TV presenter and media personality.

Musing on her hard streak, Butler says Sharon got so angry with Sabbath member (and old flame) Tony Iommi during one of the band’s acrimonious splits, that she sent him “a bag of her daughter’s poo in the post. Lovely”.

He also addresses the time she sabotaged fellow Brit metal gods Iron Maiden during a shared Ozzfest tour in 2005, after hearing that singer Bruce Dickinson had been insulting The Osbournes TV show.

That’s a Brit extreme ... Sharon Osbourne got angry with Iron Maiden after Bruce Dickinson (third from left) poked fun at The Osbournes reality TV show.

“Sharon was never going to let that go, but her reaction was extreme, even by her standards,” writes Butler, describing how she organised for Maiden to be pelted with eggs from the crowd, then had their stage invaded and their power cut mid-song, leaving thousands of fans outraged.

“It was a strange end to what, up until then, had been a very harmonious Sabbath–Maiden combination,” Butler adds.

“The moral of the story? Never cross Sharon Osbourne.”

Into The Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath – and Beyond by Geezer Butler is out now, published by HarperCollins

Back to Black ... Into The Void by Geezer Butler.

Originally published as Never cross ‘ruthless’ Sharon Osbourne, says Ozzy’s Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler