Thousands of fans lined Broad Street in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday to say goodbye to rock icon Ozzy Osbourne during a funeral procession held for the Black Sabbath frontman, who died on July 22 at the age of 76.
Osbourne’s wife of 43 years, Sharon, and two of his children, Jack and Kelly, followed the late rocker’s hearse in a car as it made its way through the streets of Birmingham, the English city where he grew up and where the band Black Sabbath was formed in 1968.
Fans chanted “Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, oi, oi, oi!” as the hearse carrying Osbourne made its way down Broad Street to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019.
Six vehicles carrying the Osbourne family — who covered all costs for the procession — followed the hearse. They got out of their vehicles to look at the goodbye messages left for Osbourne.
The hearse featured purple flowers spelling out “Ozzy” on top of his coffin, which could be seen through the window.
Sharon, who was visibly emotional, leaned on Kelly and Jack for support as she broke down in tears while she laid flowers down in the sea of tributes left for her late husband.
The crowd chanted, “Sharon, Sharon, Sharon!” as she stood and admired the fan tributes.
Following closely behind Sharon was the couple’s third daughter, Aimee, who is rarely seen, and Osbourne’s son Louis, from his first marriage to Thelma Riley.
The family spent some time at the bridge before returning to the cars and moving on with the procession. Fans in attendance threw flowers onto the funeral cars as the cortege continued to move further down Broad Street.
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A private funeral service is being held for the Osbourne family and close friends later in the day at an undisclosed location.
Huge crowds began gathering along the route hours in advance of the procession that began at 1 p.m. local time.
The Jaguar hearse and six Mercedes cars were accompanied by police motorcycles and a police car that drove slowly along the street.
The cortege was accompanied by a live brass band performance — local musicians Bostin’ Brass — a final musical moment to honour the legacy of Osbourne. The band played some of Osbourne’s hits, including Iron Man.
The event drew large crowds of fans as they gathered to say goodbye to “the man who helped shape the global heavy metal genre and who proudly carried the spirit of Birmingham throughout his career, whilst allowing his family a chance to see the many memories of his loyal fans have left alongside flowers and tributes,” according to the press release.
Birmingham City Council worked with partners over the weekend to coordinate the “respectful and safe public event” in collaboration with the Osbourne family, “who have kindly funded all of the associated costs.”
Since Osbourne’s death was announced, fans have made pilgrimages to sites around Birmingham, which has embraced its reputation as the birthplace of heavy metal.
“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,” Coun. Zafar Iqbal, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, said in a statement.
“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,” Iqbal added.
Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates, Terence “Geezer” Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, were recently awarded the Freedom of the City in recognition of their services to Birmingham.
Just over two weeks before his death, Osbourne delivered his last live performance with the original lineup of Black Sabbath at Villa Park soccer stadium in their home city of Birmingham, central England, on July 5.
The singer sang from a black throne that rose from under the stage.
“I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel — thank you from the bottom of my heart,” the Crazy Train singer said. “You’re all … special. Let’s go crazy, come on.”
Osbourne performed several songs solo before being joined onstage for the first time in 20 years by his former Black Sabbath bandmates. The band ended a short set with Paranoid, one of its most famous songs.
On July 22, his family announced that Osbourne had died, saying, “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 was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
He is survived by his wife, Sharon, and his six children.
— With files from The Associated Press
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