Farewell to the Prince of Darkness: Thousands of fans line the streets of Birmingham ahead of Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral procession
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Ozzy Osbourne’s rock howl helped make him a heavy metal icon before his genial family antics turned him into a reality TV star.
Now celebrities, fans and loving locals have thronged the streets of his home city to pay tribute ahead of his funeral procession following the singer’s death aged 76.
The so-called ‘Prince of Darkness’ has been memorialised in Birmingham since last Tuesday’s announcement by his family including wife Sharon.
The much-visited ‘Black Sabbath Bridge’ in England’s second city has been covered in floral tributes and was this morning closed off so his relatives could pay a visit – though barriers have now been taken down shortly before 10.30am.
A funeral parade along Birmingham’s Broad Street is planned for 1pm onwards.
Yet crowds have been gathering from early on, well in advance, to show their respects for the singer whose songs included Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
Thousands of people have been pictured taking their places not only on Black Sabbath Bridge but along the city centre route that his cortege will travel.
The hearse carrying Osbourne will make its way down Broad Street towards the Black Sabbath bench from about 1pm, with reports today the original plan of approaching from the Five Ways roundabout has been diverted to Sheepcote Street instead.
Ozzy Osbourne, who died last week aged 76, recently performed at Villa Park in Birmingham
Fans have been gathering today ahead of his funeral procession through England’s second city
Masses of floral tributes have been piling up at Birmingham’s Black Sabbath Bridge
Ozzy is pictured here with his wife Sharon Osbourne, in Los Angeles in September 2017
His family members are expected to watch the cortege, which will be accompanied by a live brass band called Bostin’ Brass – the first word being a Black Country term.
Fans have left heartfelt messages and floral tributes around the Black Sabbath mural on Navigation Street in recent days to honour the heavy metal star who was born in the Aston area of Birmingham.
Members of the public have also signed a book of condolences, opened by Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery, which is currently holding an exhibition titled Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025): Working Class Hero.
While organising the procession, Birmingham City Council collaborated with the Osbourne family, who funded all of the associated costs.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, said: ‘Ozzy was more than a music legend – he was a son of Birmingham.
‘Having recently been awarded the Freedom of the City and following his celebrated appearance at the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park earlier this month, it was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral.
‘We know how much this moment will mean to his fans. We’re proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began, and we are grateful that they have generously offered to pay to enable this to happen and support the city is giving him the farewell he deserves.’
Broad Street has been closed to through traffic from 7am today, with buses and trams diverted before the road packed with bars reopens when the event finishes.
Praise is continuing to pour in for heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, pictured in June 2007
Flowers, notes and floral tributes on the Black Sabbath Bridge bench are seen in Birmingham
This is among the items placed today in Birmingham ahead of Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral
Crowds have been gathering early along Broad Street in Birmingham before today’s procession
Police and barriers are seen along Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham on Wednesday morning
Flower honours for the late Ozzy Osbourne have continued to mount along Broad Street
Pictured is one among thousands of Ozzy Osbourne fans gathering in Birmingham today
Devotees have been lining the streets of the heavy metal legend’s beloved home city
A cuddly toy bat was held, nodding to one of the most famous anecdotes regarding Ozzy – with the singer having bitten the head off on on-stage during a live concert
Emotional tributes have been left canalside at Birmingham’s Brindleyplace, near Broad Street
A dog named Bruce but also dubbed ‘Doggy Osbourne’ was among those pictured today
Groups congregated along Broad Street ahead of the procession scheduled for 1pm
This floral tribute shared the message to the late Ozzy Osbourne that ‘Birmingham loves you’
Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham has been awash with memorial messages and displays
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.
They are expected to attend, while other reported celebrity guests include Sir Elton John.
The group, which formed in 1968, are 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 noughties 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 5 in a concert that also saw performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses.
Ozzy took the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death.
The rocker reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time since 2005 to bid an emotional farewell to his decades of performing live on stage.
More than 42,000 fans packed into the venue for the Back To The Beginning show, during which he told the crowd in his final speech: ‘You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.’
Black Sabbath admirers have been arriving early on Wednesday ahead of Ozzy’s funeral
Fans have been congregating at the Birmingham site fondly known as Black Sabbath Bridge
A message on screen then read: ‘Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,’ before the sky lit up with fireworks.
He had told of it being his last performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson’s in 2020.
In a statement shared last Tuesday, Ozzy’s family said he died ‘surrounded by love’.
They said: ‘It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.’
He is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack.
Daily Mail revealed last Wednesday that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne’s grand country home as paramedics battled to save his life for two hours.
Friends told the Mail’s Alison Boshoff that his heartbroken wife Sharon was considering now burying Ozzy in the gardens of the 350-acre estate in an intimate family funeral.
Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15.
Tributes are left before Ozzy Osbourne’s cortege journey through his home city Birmingham
Ozzy took the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park Stadium in his native Birmingham, England less than three weeks before his death
After serving two months in prison for burglary, he decided to pursue his love of music.
By 1970, Black Sabbath – originally going by the name of Earth – had gained a huge following in the US and UK with the release of their first album.
Ozzy quit the band in 1978 and four years later divorced his first wife Thelma Mayfair, with whom he had two children, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems.
He went on to marry second wife Sharon, who helped him transform into a successful solo artist and the couple had three children together.
Ozzy gained a whole new audience of fans with the family’s reality TV show The Osbournes in 2001.
He spoke in 2011 about how he imagined his future send-off, telling the Times: ‘I honestly don’t care what they play at my funeral – they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and “We Are The Diddymen” if it makes ’em happy.
‘But I do want to make sure it’s a celebration, not a mope-fest. I’d also like some pranks: maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin, or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of “death”.
‘There’ll be no harping on the bad times. It’s worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives.
‘So by any measure, most of us in this country – especially rock stars like me – are very lucky. That’s why I don’t want my funeral to be sad – I want it to be a time to say, “Thanks”.’
