Sharon Osbourne recalls introducing Dio to Sabbath members

The Ozzy Osbourne wife and manager Sharon Osbourne had contact with Black Sabbath very early on because her father Don Arden was their manager for a long time. When the group decided to fire Ozzy back in the late 70s due to his behavior and substance abuse, she curiously was the one who suggested to Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward the singer Ronnie James Dio.

A previous member of Elf and Rainbow, Dio joined the band in 1979 and was part of the group until 1982, when he left, returning from 1991 to 1992 and then from 2006 to 2010 (As Heaven & Hell). Sharon recalled this story in an interview with Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar).

Sharon Osbourne recalls introducing Dio to Sabbath members

“It was when the band had decided, definitely, that Ozzy had to go. And Tony (Iommi) said to me, ‘Who do you think I could get for a singer?’ And I said, ‘I know this guy, Ronnie Dio.’ So, I introduced them. They got on really well, because Ronnie was a very social guy, too, very easy to talk to.”

“And they all hit it off, which was great. And they got rid of Ozzy, which was not great for Ozzy, because he didn’t have any confidence in himself. He thought he was, like, over. Embarrassed to go back home to see his wife and kids, embarrassed to tell them,” Sharon Osbourne said.

With Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Black Sabbath recorded the albums: “Heaven & Hell” (1980), “Mob Rules” (1981), “Dehumanizer” (1992) and “The Devil You Know” (2009 – As Heaven & Hell).

The vocalist died at the age of 67 back in May 16, 2010, a victim of stomach cancer.