Sharon Osbourne's famous parents - and their connection to husband Ozzy

Sharon Osbourne is known for delivering bags of entertainment and being a constant presence in her husband Ozzy Osbourne's successful rock career with Black Sabbath. Whilst her renowned family have been captivating audiences for decades, Sharon's home life hasn't always been plain sailing. The 72 year old has been candid about her troubled relationship with her parents, both of whom have since died. But the on-screen star's rise to fame was largely attributed to her role in the reality show The Osbournes, which showcased her family's home life and catapulted Sharon into the spotlight. She also gained recognition for her appearances on shows like The X Factor. Additionally, she has built a successful career as a businesswoman and producer. But the mum-of-three's dad was also a force within the music industry.

Her father, Don Arden, launched his music management journey by singing at the local synagogue, before swiftly advancing to perform on variety circuits at just 14 during wartime Britain. Nevertheless, he transformed into a celebrated showbusiness agent in 1954 after recognising its financial possibilities, reports OK! His inaugural major client as a manager was the volatile rock 'n' roll trailblazer Gene Vincent in 1960. However, Sharon has previously revealed that her upbringing was marred by brutality.

She frequently witnessed her father, infamously dubbed the "Al Capone of pop," intimidating individuals or brandishing firearms.

Her dad represented the group Black Sabbath, and he notably dismissed Sharon's future husband, Ozzy Osbourne, from the outfit.

Sharon, who began her romance with Ozzy in 1979, subsequently took over managing his career rather than the Arden organisation.

Sharon assisted in assembling a lineup (Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley, and Lee Kerslake) for creating the album Blizzard of Ozz.

This enabled Ozzy to launch an extraordinarily triumphant solo venture. However, her romantic involvement with Ozzy and her role as his manager sparked fury from her father.

Sharon's memoir reveals harrowing tales of his betrayal, including theft, attempts on her life, and deliberate lies told to Ozzy designed to poison him against her.

This led to a bitter 20-year estrangement between father and daughter. Speaking to The Guardian in 2001, Sharon declared: "The best lesson I ever had was watching him f*** his business up. He taught me everything not to do. My father's never even seen any of my three kids and, as far as I'm concerned, he never will."

However, later that year, Ozzy persuaded Sharon to reconcile with Don, whose birth name was Harry Levy, leading to his cameo appearance on the hit reality series The Osbournes in 2002. The programme also captured his first meeting with grandchildren Jack and Kelly, whilst he met granddaughter Aimee away from the cameras.

Don's explosive biography, titled Mr Big, hit shelves in 2007, just months before his death in Los Angeles on 21st July 2007. Despite their troubled history, Sharon funded her father's care during his final years.

Sharon's relationship with her mother Hope was equally fractured, and she chose not to attend her funeral.

"I didn't like my mother at all," she once confessed. "I think there was an underlying love, but there was no friendship, nothing at all, we didn't like each other."

By 2019, Sharon revealed she had finally found peace with her mother's memory after discovering the extent of Hope's impoverished and traumatic upbringing. Sharon was left utterly shocked when she discovered that her mother, Hope, had been arrested at the tender age of 12 for shoplifting alongside her own mother.

Hope and her grandmother Dolly spent two nights in cells and admitted to theft back in 1929.

The revelation came to light while Sharon was delving into her family history for the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are? Upon learning about her mother's difficult early years, Sharon was moved to tears by a newspaper excerpt detailing the incident.

The report disclosed that upon their arrest in Brixton, South London, young Hope made a desperate plea to the officers, imploring: "I will take all the blame if you will let Mummy go."

The former X Factor judge responded with dismay, saying: "Oh my God. That is just heartbreaking."

The duo had pilfered two pairs of stockings among other items, valued at eight shillings and fourpence - equivalent to 42p today. Given that Dolly was likely raising Hope alone at the time, Sharon is convinced that their theft was driven by sheer necessity.

Reflecting on the struggles her grandmother must have faced, Sharon commented: "To have two kids, a husband gone, it must have been really hard."