Jack Osbourne’s mum, Black Sabbath manager Sharon Osbourne, had a fearsome reputation in the music industry, but it pales in significance next to her dad’s. Some of the most feared gangsters in history include Pablo Escobar, Al Capone, Whitey Bulger, John Dillinger – and another is the rock ‘n’ roll manager and Jack’s grandfather, Don Arden.
Jack, son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne lifted the lid to his I’m a Celebrity campmates all about his hell-raiser maternal grandfather, and he sounded terrifying.
In tonight’s show, Kelly Brook asked Jack about his granddad’s reputation of being the most feared man to work in the music business, after she said she’d heard a rumour he used to dangle bands out the window unless they signed to him.
Jack nodded and agreed it was true, before adding: “He would pull guns on people, everything.”
Speaking about his mum Sharon, he explained she fell out with his grandad after she took on management of Ozzy. Explaining how his grandfather reacted, he said: “He sent hitmen after them, mobsters would show up with guns at gigs…”
Jack told a shocked Kelly and others in the Jungle that his grandad was a friend of the most feared and menacing of British gangsters, The Kray twins.
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He added: “She [Sharon] was his protégée, he taught her everything and he did all sorts of screwed up things. Like, had my mum sign all these documents and everything was in her name so he would never get in trouble. [And] they would firebomb other record companies. That’s why my grandfather knew the Krays.”
He explained that his mum Sharon eventually found out her dad was “a crook, stealing money from bands” at the time. Jack said: “After she left and took management of my dad, they took them to court, they had to essentially pay him a million dollars to break the contract.”
Speaking about why he didn’t actually know his grandad until his teens he said: “My mum actually told me he was dead until I was about 15 or 16.”
So feared was Ozzy Osbourne’s father-in-law that he was given the nickname “the Al Capone of pop”.
But who was the real Don Arden?
Don Arden was a British music manager and London-based agent, known for his aggressive business tactics and for managing the careers of major rock acts like Black Sabbath, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Small Faces, The Move, and the Electric Light Orchestra.
Born Harry Levy, his ruthless methods earned him a notorious reputation which saw him involved with many disputes with artists and face criticism over some of his alleged business practices, such as paying DJs to play records.
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His career also included producing large-scale musical productions in Las Vegas such as Hello Hollywood.
But it’s his controversial reputation that earned him the monikers “Godfather of Rock” and “Al Capone of pop.” Some of his most unethical stunts saw him dangle Robert Stigwood, the manager of the Bee Gees, from a window after he tried to steal the Small Faces from Arden.
In addition to that hell-raising tale, Arden also threatened Jimmy Page and Keith Moon when they were looking to form a band. The musicians were on a mission to get Steve Marriott to leave the Small Faces and join them.
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However, Arden, true to his reputation, allegedly responded with: “How would you like to play in a band with broken fingers” (per Rolling Stone).
But not even being a daughter of Arden’s offered protection.
After Black Sabbath booted Ozzy Osbourne due to his substance abuse, Arden wanted to become his manager. His daughter Sharon beat him to it.
Despite Sharon being his own flesh and blood, so enraged was Arden by what he saw as betrayal, that he reportedly had his pet dogs attack Sharon when she came and visited him.
That story has never been confirmed, but Sharon Osbourne was estranged from her father for roughly two decades.
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