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Sharon Osbourne's father passes away
07/24/2007 3:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
courtesy of NME.com
Don Arden, the music mogul father of Sharon Osbourne, has passed away at age 81.
Arden steered acts like Black Sabbath, ELO, and the Small Faces to success.
Despite the fact that Osbourne became estranged from her father after fighting for control of her husband Ozzy Osbourne's career, they reconiled in 2002 after Arden developed Alzheimer's Disease.
A spokesperson for Osbourne said that Arden had died in a Los Angeles nursing home.
Don Arden began as a singer in London's West End and on radio following World War II. He later moved onto arranging tours for the likes of Gene Vincent and Little Richard.
Arden became known for his fierce temper. His reputation was beased on an infamous incident in 1966 when he reportedly hung rival manager Robert Stigwood from a fourth floor balcony for trying to lure away one of his acts, the Small Faces.
In his 2004 autobiography Mr. Big, he said: "To try and steal my discovery--that was unforgivable."
By the '60s and '70s he had set up his own label Jet, but fell out with the likes of the Small Faces and singer songwriter Lynsey De Paul, both of whom claimed they did not receive money owed to them.
In 1979, Sharon Osbourne wrested away control of Ozzy Osbourne's solo career and the two were estranged until 2002.
Arden passed away on Saturday (July 21), reports the BBC.
For more on Black Sabbath, check out their NME.com page.
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