Dolly Parton’s surprise appearance at BRITs with touching message for fellow widow Sharon Osbourne

Dolly Parton, 80, delivered a touching message for fellow widow Sharon Osbourne, 73, while honouring the late Ozzy Osbourne at the BRIT Awards on Saturday night. The Jolene singer, whose husband Carl Dean passed away in March 2025, made a rare appearance during the awards ceremony via video to pay tribute to the late Black Sabbath singer’s musical legacy – and credited his wife of 43 years as “the wind beneath his wings”.

“Ozzy Osbourne dedicated his entire life to music and his legacy has left a permanent imprint in the fabric of music lovers everywhere,” Dolly said in the virtual message that was streamed during the ceremony. “Now talk about stealing the show.”

“Ozzy knew how to get your attention with his love of theatrics, his musical gifts – he could turn any occasion into a full-blown show,” she continued, adding that “at his very core, Ozzy Osbourne was a showman”. 

Dolly then spoke directly to Sharon, who was in attendance with her daughter, Kelly Osbourne, 41, to accept the posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award on Ozzy’s behalf. “So Sharon, get on up here and accept this, because Ozzy would be the first to tell us you were the wind beneath his wings.” Sharon and Ozzy were married from July 1982 up until his death in July 2025 and welcomed three children together: Aimee, 42, Kelly, and Jack, 40. 

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Dolly’s 58-year marriage

Dolly lost her own rarely-seen husband, Carl, a year ago after 58 years of marriage. Carl died on 3 March, 2025 at the age of 82. While Dolly is often in the spotlight, her husband lived a quiet life out of the limelight. 

The country singer shared her heartbreak on Instagram, announcing her husband’s death shortly after in a statement. “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years,” Dolly wrote. The couple had been married since 1966, but first met in 1964 on the day Dolly moved to Nashville when she was just 18 years old. 

© DollyParton.com

Sharon honours Ozzy at the Brits

Sharon got emotional on stage while accepting the posthumous BRIT award on her late husband’s behalf. “If Ozzy was here tonight with us, he’d be showing us that gorgeous smile, and I know he would be so proud to receive this from the country he loved,” she said.  

“He may not be here, but he left us an amazing body of work that will never be forgotten by the country that made him.”

Speaking on the red carpet at the awards show, Sharon said: “It’s been an amazing feeling having so many people care about you. It’s a gift.”

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Her daughter Kelly chimed in: “And to know that people love him just as much as we did, and they’re here giving us so much grace and just support,” she said, adding that “it’s beautiful”.

During the ceremony, the BRITs paid tribute to the late Prince of Darkness with a powerful performance of Ozzy’s 1991 hit ‘No More Tears’. Robbie Williams led the awards show performance alongside Ozzy’s former tour mates, Adam Wakeman, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Tommy Clufetos and Zakk Wylde.