How Fall River and Sharon Osbourne Have Been Connected Since the 1800s

Did you know that an infamous rock 'n’ roll family has ties to Fall River?

While it is well-known that Central Congregational Church was the setting for Aerosmith’s music video for "Cryin'," it turns out that Sharon Osbourne also has ties to a church just a few blocks down: St. Mary’s Cathedral.

On an episode of the popular UK television series, Who Do You Think You Are?, Osbourne’s trip to Fall River in 2019 revealed that not only was her great-grandmother born in Fall River, but her great-great-grandparents tied the knot at St. Mary’s in the late 1800s.

Get our free mobile app

Phil Devitt, a tour guide for the Lizzie Borden House -- and Fun 107's digital managing editor -- shared his knowledge of the interesting connection between Osbourne and the city of Fall River. During his tours, he makes a stop in front of St. Mary’s, which sits across the street from the Borden house, and tells his guests the Osbourne history.

“In the 1860s, it was the setting of Sharon Osbourne’s great-great-grandparents' wedding,” he said of the church. “She learned this a few years ago while taping an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? She came to the city for the taping, walked into the church and marveled that Ozzy would really love the place.

"If he shows up and it turns out he's a fan of the place, I think it would be cool to put a sign out front that says the church is Prince of Darkness-approved."

Truth be told, the wedding was one of the few highlights for the Osbournes back then, as Fall River was rather unkind to them.

Osbourne’s great-great-grandparents, Catherine Doud from England and Thomas O’Donnell from Ireland, moved to the United States in search of a better life but were met with poverty, disease and death.

A far cry from the life that Sharon Osbourne lives these days with Ozzy. But no matter where she goes in life, her roots will always be intertwined with the SouthCoast.