Thelma Riley

Little to no information is available on Thelma Riley’s childhood and family. Prior to meeting Osbourne, she had been in a relationship which resulted in the birth of her son Elliot Kingsley in 1966.

Thelma Riley was once married to John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne. He hails from the Aston area of Birmingham, England. He grew up alongside five siblings and got the nickname “Ozzy” when he was still in primary school. He was first inspired to pursue a career in music after hearing the Beatles’ 1963 song ‘She Loves You’. In the late 1960s, Osbourne, guitarist and songwriter Geezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, and drummer Bill Ward formed the group The Polka Tulk Blues Band. In the subsequent months, the group changed their name first to Earth and then finally, in August 1969, to Black Sabbath. About a year later, they released their self-titled debut album.

Between 1970 and 1979, he was involved in the production of the group’s eight studio albums. He was dismissed from Black Sabbath in 1979 and subsequently decided to pursue a solo career. As a solo artist, Osbourne has released 11 studio albums, five live albums, seven compilation albums, nine video albums, and five EPs. In 2013, he reunited with the group to put out what was to be their album, ‘13’.

Thelma first met Osbourne in 1971. At the time, he was still in the early phase of his career and she was working at a nightclub in Birmingham called the Rum Runner. It is there that they became acquainted and a whirlwind romance soon ensued. In July that year, they got married.

As Black Sabbath gradually became one of the most popular and influential groups of the 1970s, Osbourne, who is also known as “The Prince of Darkness”, gained notoriety for his outrageous lifestyle. He has drunk alcohol and taken drugs for the most part of his adult life. In 1978, in an interview to Sounds, he stated “I get high, I get fucked up ... what the hell's wrong with getting fucked up? There must be something wrong with the system if so many people have to get fucked up.” Over the years, his bandmates have admitted that while all of them had substance abuse issues, Osbourne was by far the worst offender. This was actually the reason for his departure from Black Sabbath in 1979.

His substance abuse affected his personal life as well and was the main cause of deterioration of his and Thelma’s marriage. The relationship was also impacted by Osbourne’s absence from home due to constant touring with the band. They have two children together besides Thelma’s elder son, Elliot, whom Osbourne adopted. Jessica Starshine Osbourne was born on January 20, 1972, and Louis John Osbourne was born in 1975. The children later came out to say that he was not a good father. Osbourne himself admitted that marrying Thelma was “a terrible mistake” and that he had put her “through hell”.

Osbourne married Sharon not long after his divorce from Thelma, on July 4, 1982. This relationship ultimately had a positive effect on Osbourne’s life. In the ensuing years, he approached life with a lot more restraint and eventually quit both alcohol and drugs. While he did relapse in the early 2010s, he eventually became sober once more in 2013. In 2002, he was introduced to a new generation of fans through the MTV reality show ‘The Osbournes’ (2002-05). He is currently appearing in History’s ‘Ozzy & Jack's World Detour’ (2016-present).

After the divorce, Thelma retreated from public life. These days, she is reportedly a school teacher in Leicestershire, England.