Inside Ozzy Osbourne's marriage to private first wife he put 'through hell'

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's relationship was considered to be one of the most enduring in show business after over four decades together. However, although they first met in 1970 when Sharon was just 18, they didn't spark up a relationship until many years later, and in the meantime, Ozzy married someone else and had two children.

The legendary rocker, who died at the age of 76 on June 22, wed his first wife Thelma Riley in 1971 after meeting her in the Rum Runner nightclub in Birmingham, where she worked as a waitress. They had two children together, Jessica and Louis, while Ozzy also adopted Thelma's son Elliot from a previous relationship. Black Sabbath were just starting to take off, and he was away on the road a lot, which proved not to be conducive to a happy home life. The couple divorced in 1982, and Ozzy later expressed regret about how he treated Thelma and his children, acknowledging that his lifestyle at the time was destructive.

Writing in his 2009 autobiography I Am Ozzy he candidly admitted his bad behaviour contributed to the breakdown of the union.

He called it "a terrible mistake" and admitted "I put her through hell". Explaining himself he wrote: "I was a very selfish young man, full of drink and drugs, and I didn't know how to be a husband or a father."

Thelma, now 71, worked as an English teacher and has stayed out of the spotlight since the breakdown of their marriage.

Ozzy didn't wait until the divorce was final to take up with Sharon. Their relationship began in 1979 while he and Thelma were still married. He wed Sharon on July 4, 1982 shortly after his marriage was offically disolved.

Fans were reminded of Ozzy's first marriage when his son Louis occasionally appeared on The Osbournes TV show.

Louis, who is married to actress Louise Osbourne and has two children with her, has followed Ozzy into the music industry.

However, his genre of choice is dance and house music, and after working as a DJ, he now manages acts in Purple Wall Management and All Night Artists.

His sister Jessica, who stays out of the spotlight, never appeared in the show, but she did get a special mention in one season two episode. Ozzy found out he was a grandfather for the first time when she called to let him know she was in labour and had given birth to a daughter named Isabelle.