Ozzy Osbourne’s 2016 affair with hairstylist Michelle Pugh triggered a personal crisis for his wife, Sharon Osbourne, leading to a drug overdose and a brief separation that nearly ended their decades-long marriage.
The heavy metal icon’s infidelity came to light after a four-year relationship with Pugh, during which she worked closely with him. Sharon later revealed during her Sharon Osbourne: Cut the Crap stage show in London that she attempted suicide by overdosing on pills after discovering the affair.
At the time, the couple separated briefly, with Ozzy moving out of their home on May 8, 2016. The episode stands as one of the most serious incidents in their 40+ years together, second only to Ozzy’s 1989 arrest for attempting to strangle Sharon during a drug-fueled episode.
Michelle Pugh publicly acknowledged the affair in a People interview, saying, “I can’t deny that I fell in love with a married man that pursued me. But the idea that I’m just a gold-digging groupie is false. That’s not the reality.”
Ozzy’s spokesperson responded at the time, claiming the singer was undergoing “intense therapy for sex addiction,” and suggesting Pugh had “taken their relationship out of context.”
Ozzy later told the press in July 2016 that he and Sharon were working things out. “Some days are good, some terrible. You drift apart, but you get back on the horse,” he said.
While details of that painful chapter have remained mostly private, Ozzy’s upcoming memoir is expected to offer new insight into the affair, Sharon’s overdose, and how the crisis changed the trajectory of both his personal life and career.
Ozzy Osbourne died on July 21 at the age of 76, his family confirmed.
