THOUSANDS HONOUR OZZY OSBOURNE AT UK HOMETOWN FUNERAL PROCESSION

Read Time:3 Minute, 46 Second

By: Muftau Fatimo

Thousands filled the streets of Birmingham, UK, on Wednesday to bid an emotional farewell to their hometown hero, Ozzy Osbourne, as the legendary heavy metal icon was laid to rest.

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, famously known as the “Prince of Darkness” and remembered for once biting a bat on stage, passed away on July 22 at the age of 76.

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, Osbourne died just 17 days after performing his final sold-out show in Birmingham.

His funeral procession began around 12:00 GMT, following a route through the English city carefully planned with his family.

Chants of “Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!” could be heard, with one fan crying out “we love you Ozzy!” as his coffin — sitting in a stately black Jaguar hearse topped with flower arrangements — and other vehicles crawled by.

Mourners and music fans gathered along the streets of Birmingham, central England, on July 30, 2025, to pay their respects as the funeral cortege of Ozzy Osbourne, the late Black Sabbath lead singer, passed by. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)

The procession, which earlier passed the star’s childhood home in the city’s Aston area, was accompanied by a live brass band performance by local musicians from Bostin’ Brass.

Fan Mhairi Larner said it was “overwhelming” and “very emotional” to be part of the city’s farewell to a star who’d been so “proud of his roots”.

“I’ve been a fan as long as I can remember, and I raised my son to do the same,” said the 31-year-old carer who had travelled from the central city of Nottingham.

“He was just nuts, a little bit weird, but it’s nice to have someone like this,” she told AFP.

Another fan, Reece Sargeant, came with friends to say goodbye.

“I felt it was important to come and pay our respects… Ozzy and Black Sabbath truly put Birmingham on the map,” he said.

The 16-year-old described the band’s final concert as “out of this world.”

Osbourne had famously expressed that he wanted his funeral to be a celebration of his life, not a “mope-fest.”

The procession made a stop at the Black Sabbath bench an art installation displaying portraits of each band member on a bridge named after the group.

Visibly emotional family members, including his widow Sharon Osbourne, placed flowers at the bench and read some of the heartfelt tributes left there, alongside balloons and floral arrangements.

In recent days, thousands of fans have gathered at the bridge to mourn the loss of the musician who played a key role in pioneering heavy metal.

The cortege, escorted by police motorbikes, then resumed its slow procession toward a private funeral service.

‘Tribute’

“Ozzy was more than a music legend – he was a son of Birmingham,” Zafar Iqbal, the lord mayor of the central English city, said in a statement.

“It was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral.

“We’re proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began,” Iqbal, who could be seen hugging family members when the procession stopped in central Birmingham, added.

Black Sabbath enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1970s and 80s after forming in Birmingham in 1968.

Their eponymous 1970 debut album made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records, including their most famous song “Paranoid”.

Flowers are left at a makeshift memorial at Ozzy Osbourne’s Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 22, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)

The group went on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Osbourne was added for a second time last year as a solo artist.

Osbourne gained notoriety for his outlandish stunts, many of which were fuelled by his legendary indulgence in drugs and alcohol.

In 1989, he was arrested for drunkenly trying to strangle his wife Sharon, which he once mentioned in a 2007 interview.

His live performances at the height of his hedonism have gone down in rock folklore, particularly the 1982 gig in the US city of Des Moines when he bit a bat on stage.

Osbourne recalled believing a fan had thrown a rubber bat onto the stage, only realizing it was real after he took a bite.