In a startling revelation on Friday's episode of I'm A Celebrity, Jack Osbourne opened up about his family's dark history with his late grandfather, the notorious music manager Don Arden, whose mobster-style tactics included sending hitmen after Jack's own parents.
The Mobster Grandfather
Jack, now 40, shared that he didn't meet his grandfather until he was 17 years old, explaining that his mother Sharon had actually told him Don was dead. Don Arden, who passed away in 2007, was Sharon Osbourne's father and built a fearsome reputation in the music industry through extreme methods.
The family conflict erupted in 1979 when Sharon took over managing Ozzy Osbourne's career after he was fired from Black Sabbath, before they married in 1982. Don's reaction was violently extreme - he sent hitmen after them and mobsters would appear with guns at Ozzy's gigs.
A Legacy of Violence and Intimidation
Jack described his mother as Don's protégé, saying he taught her everything about the business while engaging in what Jack called 'all sorts of screwed up things.' The media personality confirmed rumours that Don would dangle bands out of windows to force them to sign contracts, adding that his grandfather 'pulled guns on people, everything.'
He revealed how Don protected himself legally by having Sharon sign all documents in her name. 'They would firebomb other record companies,' Jack stated, explaining this was why his grandfather knew the infamous Kray twins.
The Cost of Freedom
The situation reached its climax when Sharon discovered her father was stealing money from bands and decided to break away completely. They had to take Don to court and pay him one million dollars to break the management contract, a substantial sum that represented the price of their freedom from his control.
Meanwhile, Jack has been making his own waves in the I'm A Celebrity jungle with a clever strategy of hiding his real fears from producers. Despite admitting he's scared of bushtucker trials, he impressed viewers by completing the challenging Drown the Hatch trial in record time, collecting all 12 stars while surrounded by dragons, mud crabs, eels and toads.
Fans quickly took to social media to praise his performance, with many dubbing him 'JACK-QUA MAN' and expressing how 'insanely impressed' they were with his ability to conquer his fears while revealing his family's extraordinary past.
