Birmingham, England said goodbye to its most beloved son on Wednesday (July 30) as Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral procession passed through the Midlands city. The Black Sabbath singer died last week (July 22) at age 76, just weeks after his final live performance at the all-star charity concert Back to the Beginning.
Osbourne was raised in the Aston area of the city and the metal icons — made up of guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — formed in Birmingham in 1968. The group played their first live show in the city at The Crown, dubbed the “birthplace of heavy metal”, on the corner of Station Street and Hill Street. Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s final performance earlier in July took place at soccer team Aston Villa F.C.’s home stadium Villa Park.
A hearse carrying Osbourne’s body left Villa Park and made its way through the city center, where fans lined the streets to pay their respects, packed in behind barricades and hanging out of windows, with some shouting “Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, oi, oi, oi!” as they waited for the procession to being. A purple floral tribute reading “Ozzy” adorned his coffin and a purple flower crucifix sat atop the hearse. The cortège traveled down Broad Street and passed over the Black Sabbath Bridge where a number of fans have left flowers and tributes to the late singer; the bridge was first opened in 2019.
His wife Sharon and their three children Aimeé, Kelly and Jack, alongside other family members stopped to view tributes on the Black Sabbath Bridge and laid flowers of their own. A visibly emotional Sharon threw up a peace symbol to the crowd to thank the fans who attended, many of whom shouted “Sharon, we love you!”
Ozzy’s cortège was led by local group Bostin’ Brass, who performed a number of jazzy instrumental Black Sabbath and solo classics, including “Iron Man” and “Crazy Train,” as the hearse made its way down Broad Street, with fans providing spontaneous vocals. Speaking in 2011, Ozzy said that he wanted his funeral to be “a celebration, not a mope-fest,” so fans who attended applauded the hearse as it made its way down the street, and chanted “Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy!” in celebration. He will later be laid to rest in a private ceremony in the city.
The procession was live streamed so fans from across the globe could witness the event, and the cortège was paid for by Osbourne’s family. Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal thanked the family for their contribution to the event, and told the BBC that “[Ozzy] put Birmingham on the map. He put Aston on the map.”
On July 5, Ozzy performed for the last time at an all-star concert that reportedly raised over $190 million for charities, including local causes such as Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice. He performed nine songs at the event: five from his solo career, and an additional four with the original Black Sabbath band members – the first time they’d been on stage together since 2005.
Following his passing, Black Sabbath and his solo material has surged on streaming and on the Billboard charts. “Crazy Train” from his 1980 album Blizzard of Ozz recently hit the Hot 100 for the first time, landing at No. 46.
