“Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy,” could be heard through the streets of Birmingham on Wednesday during the funeral procession for heavy metal star Ozzy Osbourne .
The Black Sabbath frontman, who played a farewell gig in the city earlier this month, died at the age of 76 last Tuesday.
His wife, former X Factor judge Sharon (72), could be seen hugging the lord mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, after she arrived at the Black Sabbath bench where floral tributes were laid.
She was helped out of the first vehicle in the cortege by her and Ozzy’s son Jack, who joined her at the event along with daughters Aimee and Kelly – who all raised their hands in a peace sign while paying their respects.
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Sharon and the couple’s children could be seen wiping away tears at the bench as they inspected tributes, with members of the crowd shouting “we love you Ozzy”.
Each family member carried a pink rose, wrapped in black paper tied with a purple ribbon, that they laid on top of the many other floral tributes that sat next to a poster of the star, which said: “Birmingham will always love you”.
Sharon kissed the flower she was holding before laying it in the middle of the tributes.
The hearse carrying Osbourne’s coffin passed the star’s childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, at about 12.45pm on Wednesday on its route into Birmingham city centre.
Flowers have been placed outside the terraced property, close to Villa Park, while the owners of the house have put up a picture of Osbourne in the front bay window.
The Jaguar hearse and six Mercedes funeral cars, accompanied by police motorcycle riders and a police car, drove slowly along the street on Lodge Road, watched by a handful of fans and the current owner of the house.
The hearse, adorned with purple flowers spelling out “Ozzy”, then made its way down Broad Street before stopping at the Black Sabbath bench, where thousands of tributes, balloons and flowers have been left.
Musicians from Bostin Brass played Black Sabbath songs to accompany the cortege, and fans threw flowers at the hearse while it slowly passed through the city.
Fans also left tributes outside a mural on Navigation Street, which was created in advance of the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park a few weeks ago.
One Osbourne fan, called Goose, said Ozzy “was a family member” and recalled discovering heavy metal as a teenager.
“That’s when I found, like millions of people around the world, that there was music that was for us, something that understood us,” said Goose.
“We knew that there was somebody out there that felt the way that we did and it was a constant presence.
“Ozzy helped give that to the world. He was a family member. He felt like a family member to so many people and he touched so many people’s lives.”
Evie Mayo, from Wolverhampton, said the heavy metal star had inspired her and everyone in Birmingham.
“I think he was so influential, he was such an inspirational person. I think he really impacted everyone here, especially in Birmingham as well,” she said.
“Now that he’s not here any more, you can feel the impact of it. He inspired a lot of people and he was a great person.”
Elsewhere, the lord mayor of Birmingham said that Osbourne was a “working-class hero” who loved his city.
Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates – Terence “Geezer” Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward – were recently given the freedom of the city of Birmingham, which recognises people’s exceptional service to the city.
The group, which formed in 1968, is widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal.
Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans when he appeared in the 2000s reality TV series The Osbournes, starring alongside his wife Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack.
The music star, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, performed his last gig on July 5th in a concert that also saw performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. – PA
