“Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy” – The ROAR of fans Echoed through Sharon Osbourne’s Tears in a Historic Farewell. Sharon HELD her children’s HANDS to say Farewell to the “Prince of Darkness” – “the spiritual Father of heavy metal” – “an extraordinary ordinary man.”
Ozzy Osbourne‘s grief stricken widow Sharon was supported by her children and thousands of fans today as she laid a single rose for her late husband during his poignant fun3ral procession through the streets of Birmingham.
The Black Sabbath frontman, who d13d last week aged 76, was commemorated in a parade through his hometown – with his family pausing at Black Sabbath Bridge to an outpouring of love from the crowd.
Sharon and Ozzy’s children Jack, Kelly and Aimee laid their own floral tributes at the site – and made a peace sign as they gestured their gratitude to fans – while accompanied by Ozzy’s son Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley.
The fun3ral cortege was led by a live brass band, Bostin’ Brass, who performed versions of Black Sabbath songs such as Iron Man, as thousands of tearful devotees lined the streets and sang along in Ozzy’s memory.
Huge crowds gathered along the route hours in advance of the 1pm start, to pay their respects to the Prince of Darkness whose hits included Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
The hearse carrying the singer’s c0ffin – adorned with purple flowers spelling out ‘Ozzy’ – passed the star’s childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, shortly after midday.
Flowers had been placed outside the terraced property, close to Villa Park while the owners of the house put up a picture of Osbourne in the front bay window.
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Sharon Osbourne was emotional as she was seen in Birmingham today with son Jack
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Sharon Osbourne gave a peace sign towards Ozzy Osbourne fans turning out in Birmingham
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Sharon Osbourne is seen today attending her late husband Ozzy’s fun3ral procession
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She was supported by family members in Birmingham city centre
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Sharon leans on her son Jack for support as she clutches on to a bouquet of flowers
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Ozzy Osbourne’s tearful widow Sharon Osbourne is pictured giving a peace gesture to fans
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Two of Ozzy and Sharon’s children Jack and Kelly embraced at Black Sabbath Bridge
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Sharon Osbourne hugs Lord Mayor of Birmingham Councillor Zafar Iqbal as she looks at tributes left to her late husband
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The hearse carrying the singer’s c0ffin was adorned with purple flowers spelling out ‘Ozzy’
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Sharon Osbourne and other family members have been attending today’s fun3ral procession
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Sharon was seen beside her children including Jack and Kelly Osbourne
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Ozzy Osbourne’s widow Sharon and daughter Kelly added their own floral tributes
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Ozzy’s widow, Sharon Osbourne and his daughters Aimee and Kelly become emotional as the fun3ral procession makes its way through Broad Street
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The fun3ral cortege including six cars stopped along Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham
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There were chants of ‘Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy’ from fans thronging the city centre streets
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Crowds turned out in their thousands to pay their respects to Ozzy Osbourne
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Spectators have been lining the streets of Birmingham’s Broad Street thoroughfare
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Tearful tributes have been shared to Ozzy Osbourne as his fun3ral parade takes place today
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Emotional tributes are being paid in Birmingham to heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne
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Huge crowds have turned out in Birmingham for rock legend the Black Sabbath star’s fun3ral
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Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal MBE pays tribute at the Black Sabbath star’s cortege travels through England’s second city
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Fans clamer onto roof to catch a glimps of the heavy metal legend’s fun3ral procession
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Ozzy Osbourne, who d13d last week aged 76, recently performed at Villa Park in Birmingham
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Fans have been gathering today ahead of his fun3ral procession through England’s second city
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This floral tribute shared the message to the late Ozzy Osbourne that ‘Birmingham loves you’
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Mourners have been gathering in Birmingham city centre for Ozzy Osbourne’s send-off
The Jaguar hearse and six Mercedes fun3ral cars, accompanied by police motorcycle riders and a police car, drove slowly along the street watched by a handful of fans and the current owner of the house.
Thousands of people were pictured taking their places not only on Black Sabbath Bridge but along the city centre route along which his cortege travelled towards the Black Sabbath Bridge bench.
Elsewhere in London, the Coldstream Guards payed tribute to the heavy metal legend at the changing of the guard by performing their own rendition of his hit-song Paranoid.
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.
Fans clapped and cheered chanting ‘Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy’ as the rock legend’s hearse passed through the streets of Birmingham as tearful Sharon watched on and brushed away tears.
Superfan Amy Maybury said: ‘Everyone was clapping and singing and celebrating his life, it was a beautiful atmosphere. So many people united together to pay their respects to their hero.
‘The streets were lined with rows and rows of fans standing on tiptoes trying to get a glimpse, hanging out of windows and waving their phones in the air in a desperate bid to capture the moment on video.’
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Jack Osbourne holds his mother’s Sharon’s hands as the procession makes its way through Birmingham
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Kelly wraps her arm around her mother, as both she and Jack support her on the way back to their car
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Sharon, Kelly and Jack approach tributes left by Ozzy’s adoring hometown
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Grieving widow Sharon walks slightly ahead of her three children as she prepare to lay down a bouquet of flowers for her husband
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Kelly, Jack and Sharon together as they prepare to say their final goodbyes to Ozzy
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Sharon lays down a bouquet of flowers for her husband Ozzy in his hometown of Birmingham
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Ozzy Osbourne’s family members stand among the crowd as Ozzy’s fun3ral procession makes its way through Birmingham
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Kelly wore Ozzy’s trademark purple glasses in a heartbreaking nod to her father at his fun3ral procession today
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The family enter a car following an outpour of tributes to Ozzy from the city of Birmingham
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Ozzy Osbourne’s c0ffin and cortege is seen passing his childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston
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Tributes were displayed outside the home where Ozzy grew up in the district of Birmingham
Amy, 32, who has been a fan since she was a young girl, told the Mail: ‘He was my idol. I grew up listening to him from the age of eight as my family were big fans.
‘It was fitting to be here today to say goodbye. Luckily I was early and got a place at the front and saw the whole fun3ral procession
‘Sharon, bless her, looked very upset when she got out of the car with the kids to look at tributes. She was wiping away tears for her beloved Ozzy. It was very touching.’
DJ Amy from Wolverhampton, who has been living in Birmingham for the past seven years, said: ‘I was so shocked when Ozzy passed away, it hasn’t really hit me yet.
‘I’ve seen him live three times but sadly missed his last show. He was the epitome of heavy metal – a star right until the end. I’ll really miss him.
‘I laid some sunflowers for him last week at the bench and put up a little memorial plaque. ‘I’ll never forget him and his great music and the impact he made to my life. He inspired me to play guitar.’
Aircraft engineer Jebald Ulay, 45, a fan originally from the Philippines, said: Ozzy’s influence on heavy metal music has had ‘repercussions around the world’, dubbing him ‘the best’.
His nurse wife Jenny, 39, added: ‘We saw him back in 2018 and it is a night we’ll never forget. He was my idol and he taught us that it is OK to be different. He was an ordinary guy but became extraordinary with his huge musical talent.
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Thousands gather around tributes at the Black Sabbath Bridge, named in honour of the heavy metal band
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Emotions ran high as admirers of the Black Sabbath legend lined the streets of his home city
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Fans of all ages have been turning out to pay tribute to the late heavy metal rocker
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Aficionados have been congregating in Birmingham city centre as part of the day’s events
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A dog named Bruce but also dubbed ‘Doggy Osbourne’ was among those pictured today
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The fun3ral procession for Ozzy Osbourne has attracted scores of early arrivals
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Locals have been lining up to pay their respects to the late heavy metal icon
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Ozzy is pictured here with his wife Sharon Osbourne, in Los Angeles in September 2017
‘There is a small Filipino community in Birmingham and we all love Ozzy.’
Ben Alexander, 24, drummer and manager of thrash metal band Mount Slatra, said: ‘He was a larger than life character, energetic and kind, and the pioneer of heavy metal music.
‘He inspired me and many others and we all owe a lot to him. His d3ath was very sad and too sudden.’
One Black Sabbath fan gathering along Broad Street, giving the name of Goose, told today of discovering heavy metal as a teenager and feeling uplifted by Ozzy.
They said: ‘That’s when I found, like millions of people around the world, that there was music that was for us, something that understood us.
‘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.’
Fellow fan fan Evie Mayo said the heavy metal star had inspired her and everyone in Birmingham, as she waited by the Black Sabbath Bridge for his cortege to arrive.
She said: ‘I think he was so influential, he was such an inspirational person.
‘I think he really impacted everyone here, especially in Birmingham as well.
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Masses of floral tributes have been piling up at Birmingham’s Black Sabbath Bridge
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Fans have been sharing embraces as they mourn Ozzy Osbourne in Birmingham
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These admirers congregated on what is popularly known as Black Sabbath Bridge in the city
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People were congregating hours in advance of the fun3ral procession scheduled for 1pm
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Praise is continuing to pour in for heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, pictured in June 2007
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Flowers, notes and floral tributes on the Black Sabbath Bridge bench are seen in Birmingham
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Queues formed along Birmingham city centre streets ahead of the memorial parade
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Huge crowds have been gathering in Birmingham awaiting Ozzy Osbourne’s fun3ral cortege
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This Black Sabbath devotee was among the many out in Birmingham today to pay respects
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Also turning out in Ozzy Osbourne’s honour were fans Jerald and Jenny Ulay
‘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.’
She added: ‘He inspired me by, I love his music, absolutely love his music. I’m learning guitar so that I can learn some of his songs.’
Birmingham-based musicians Alicia Gardener-Trejo and Aaron Diaz were also there, performing songs by Ozzy and Black Sabbath, with Alicia telling BBC News of being ‘super-excited’ to be involved amid today’s commemorations.
She said: ‘It’s a huge honour to be playing the music of Ozzy and Black Sabbath today. I’m a huge fan. I’m pretty speechless. Growing up, listening to Ozzy – it’s huge to be part of this.’
Aaron said: ‘Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s music really represents something about Birmingham – there’s grit there, there’s heaviness, but there’s also humour and there’s a sort of humility in it as well.’
Lee Clarke and his mother Tracey travelled 200 miles from Plymouth to get to Birmingham for today’s event, boarding a sleeper train overnight.
He told BBC Radio WM: ‘I decided long ago, when it happened I would go – thought we’d get more notice.
‘Its pretty hard to be a metalhead and not like Ozzy Osbourne – all the other music, the other bands, they wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for him.’
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Ozzy Osbourne’s widow Sharon was accompanied by family and dignitaries at today’s event
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Family members including Sharon (centre) and children Jack and Kelly honoured the rock star
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T-shirts and memorabilia have been shown from Ozzy Osbourne’s final gig at Villa Park
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This large mural in honour of the former Black Sabbath frontman is among the tributes
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Newspaper tributes as well as floral arrangements have been placed to mark Ozzy’s passing
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Dawn Woolven (pictured) was wearing a Black Sabbath as she joined the throng of mourners
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Fans awaiting the arrival of his fun3ral cortege held floral tributes
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Black Sabbath fan Amy Maybury is seen here giving a the recognised hard rock hand gesture
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Fans have been lining Broad Street leading towards Birmingham city centre for the event
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This is among the items placed today in Birmingham ahead of Ozzy Osbourne’s fun3ral
Tracey told of becoming a fan over the past decade due to her son’s influence and said of their arrival today to join the crowds: ‘I just feel the need to be here and show the family how loved Ozzy was.
‘I’m sure they know, but it’s just somewhere I felt I wanted to be today. He was an ordinary man – an extraordinary, ordinary man.’
Meanwhile, 10-year-old Eliza turned up bearing an umbrella with model bats attached, as well as a sign saying: ‘Goodnight Ozzy – Birmingham forever.’
Eliza, accompanied by her mother and grandmother, said: ‘Ozzy is a local lad, a boy from Aston, and he’s allowed kids like me to dream big – Ozzy is Birmingham.’
Her mother Claire Finn-O’Shea described Birmingham as ‘a city in mourning’, adding: ‘We love what Ozzy did for the city. We love that he stuck to his roots. I feel like we will get upset today when we see the c0ffin.
‘It feels like it’s a big deal, and it’s so generous of the family to bring him home to Birmingham – because for the fans to be involved, that’s a massive thing.’
Adam Davies, 19, who was repeatedly leading chants of ‘Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy’ with the crowd roaring back ‘oi, oi, oi’, confessed: ‘I skived off uni today, telling them I was ill and I probably will be after all this shouting but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’
Superfan Adam, who is studying engineering at Coventry University, recently met his Black Sabbath hero at a meet and greet and paying £666 for the privilege.
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Crowds have been gathering early along Broad Street in Birmingham before today’s procession
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Flower honours for the late Ozzy Osbourne have continued to mount along Broad Street
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Groups congregated along Broad Street ahead of the procession scheduled for 1pm
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Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham has been awash with memorial messages and displays
He told the Daily Mail: ‘I walked up to him and he put out his hand to shake mine and said, “Hello, my name is Ozzy Osbourne. How are you?”
‘It knocked me for six seeing and talking to him and wanted to say, “I know who you are, the greatest rocker on earth! It cost me nearly £700 of my student grant but it was worth every penny.’
Another fan Adam, from Walsall, also had his picture taken with the star, who was with his family at the Comic Con event at Birmingham’s NEC venue.
He will forever treasure the picture, saying: ‘I saw him just 10 days before he d13d. He was smiling, he looked happy and healthy. I was the last person to meet him before he was taken off in a wheelchair to go home.
‘He has inspired me and my friends and helped give some of them jobs in the music industry. He invented this genre of heavy metal music.
‘You’ve got to turn out to say goodbye to such an incredible musical genius. I had to be here today to pay me respects and it helps give me closure.’
Among others spectators saying farewell to the Birmingham heavy metal icon son was Ryan Darling, lead singer in a thrash metal band called Mount Slatra.
He said: ‘I’m a humongous fan of Ozzy and luckily got to his last concert. He was surreal on stage.
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Devotees have been lining the streets of the heavy metal legend’s beloved home city
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This admirer had Ozzy Osbourne’s first name painted on their hand held up in his honour
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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
‘He has inspired me as front man abs songwriter myself. He pioneered that genre of music – he is the godfather of heavy metal and without him we wouldn’t have that music today.’
Ryan, 23, from Worcester, added: ‘I had to come and pay my respects. He has given us so much.
‘He came from a working class family and flung into the limelight and fame and was still able to be himself.’
Ryan, whose band recently featured on BBC radio show Forging Metal, added: ‘The impact he’s had on so many people’s life is huge.’
Earlier, 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 fun3ral.
‘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 in 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.
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Pictured is one among thousands of Ozzy Osbourne fans gathering in Birmingham today
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Emotional tributes have been left canalside at Birmingham’s Brindleyplace, near Broad Street
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Police and barriers are seen along Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham on Wednesday morning
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The streets of Birmingham have been packed with people turning out today to pay tribute
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 at events to commemorate Ozzy 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.
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Black Sabbath admirers have been arriving early on Wednesday ahead of Ozzy’s fun3ral
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A bench was occupied by Black Sabbath fans on the iconic bridge in Birmingham city centre
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People congregating wore T-shirts honouring Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne
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Fans have been congregating at the Birmingham site fondly known as Black Sabbath Bridge
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These are among the items left in honour of Ozzy Osbourne at the Birmingham bridge memorial
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The tributes come just weeks after Ozzy Osbourne’s last gig, in his home city Birmingham
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Fans have been seen waiting patiently on the streets of England’s second city to pay tribute
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Fences were erected along Broad Street in anticipation of the large numbers turning up today
Ozzy took to the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his d3ath – reuniting with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time since 2005.
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.’
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 d13d ‘surrounded by love’, adding: ‘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 fun3ral.
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Tributes are left before Ozzy Osbourne’s cortege journey through his home city Birmingham
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Ozzy took the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park Stadium in his native Birmingham, England less than three weeks before his d3ath
Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15.
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 fun3ral – 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 c0ffin, or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of “d3ath”.
‘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 fun3ral to be sad – I want it to be a time to say, “Thanks”.’
