Before Ozzy Osbourne became the bat-biting, reality TV-screaming, Prince of Darkness the world knows today, there was a woman who saw him before the madness took over: Thelma Riley. Their marriage wasn’t a rock ‘n’ roll fairy tale; it was a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the chaos of a man on the brink of superstardom, battling addiction and infidelity while trying (and failing) to be a husband and father.
Thelma wasn’t just Ozzy’s first wife; she was the one who weathered the storm of his early fame, holding down a home and raising their kids while he spiraled into excess. Their story isn’t about glitz or redemption; it’s about survival, regret, and the quiet strength of the woman who walked away when the circus became too much.
Thelma Riley: The Woman Who Stood By Ozzy Before the Madness
Before Sharon Osbourne became the iron-willed manager and spouse we all know, there was Thelma Riley—Ozzy’s first wife, the quiet force behind the Prince of Darkness during his early Black Sabbath days. Their story isn’t one of rock ‘n’ roll glamour but a messy, heartbreaking saga of fame, addiction, and a marriage that crumbled under the weight of Ozzy’s demons.
You Might Like: Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Daughter: All About His Only Child
Thelma and Ozzy met in 1971 at Birmingham’s Rum Runner nightclub, where she worked as a waitress. At the time, Black Sabbath was just blowing up, and Ozzy was riding the high of sudden stardom. Their romance moved at lightning speed — they married just months after meeting, and Thelma brought her 5-year-old son, Elliot Kingsley, into the relationship. Ozzy adopted Elliot, and soon after, they welcomed two more kids: Jessica in 1972 and Louis in 1975. On paper, it looked like a family. In reality? A disaster waiting to happen.
Ozzy has since admitted that he was a “selfish, egotistical b*stard” during this time. His drug and alcohol abuse was spiraling, and his constant touring with Black Sabbath meant he was rarely home. When he was, he was either wasted or cheating. In his memoir, I Am Ozzy, he recalls one particularly wild night where three different women showed up at his hotel room, all in one evening, while Thelma was at home with the kids. He didn’t even remember their names. Thelma, meanwhile, was left to raise their children mostly alone, dealing with the fallout of his erratic behavior.
By the late ‘70s, the cracks were too deep to fix. Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his substance abuse, and around the same time, he started an affair with Sharon Arden, his future wife and the daughter of Black Sabbath’s manager, Don Arden. Sharon, then just 18 when they first met, became Ozzy’s manager post-Black Sabbath and quickly his lover, despite him still being married to Thelma. The overlap was messy, and Thelma was understandably done. They divorced in 1982, and Ozzy married Sharon just days later on July 4th.
Life After Ozzy: Thelma’s Quiet Escape From the Spotlight
While Ozzy Osbourne’s life became a public spectacle, from his solo career to The Osbournes reality show, Thelma disappeared from the spotlight entirely. She moved to Leicestershire, England, and worked as a school teacher, choosing a quiet, stable life far from rockstar chaos. Unlike Sharon, who thrived in the media circus, Thelma wanted nothing to do with it.
Her children? Jessica and Louis stayed mostly out of the public eye, though Louis made a few cameos on The Osbournes. Elliot, her eldest, also kept a low profile. Thelma never remarried, and as of 2025, reports suggest she’s still living privately in the UK, possibly under the name Thelma Mayfair. Ozzy, meanwhile, has openly admitted he regrets how he treated her, calling their marriage a “terrible mistake” and acknowledging she didn’t deserve the hell he put her through.
Ozzy Osbourne has sadly passed away at the age of 76. pic.twitter.com/1rSDPHfWiN
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 22, 2025
Fast forward to July 2025: Ozzy’s recent death on the 22nd has brought renewed attention to his past, including his first marriage. Thelma, now in her 70s, hasn’t publicly commented, unsurprising for someone who’s spent decades avoiding the drama. But her role in Ozzy’s life remains a crucial, if overlooked, chapter in his story. She was the woman who saw the man before the myth, the one who tried to hold things together while he was busy self-destructing. And in the end, she was smart enough to walk away.
So while Sharon may have saved Ozzy Osbourne’s career (and arguably his life), Thelma was the one who endured the worst of him, and came out the other side with her dignity intact. Not a bad legacy for the first Mrs. Osbourne.
