Thousands lined the streets of Birmingham, England, on Wednesday to pay an emotional farewell to hometown hero Ozzy Osbourne as the heavy metal hell-raiser was laid to rest.
Black Sabbath frontman Osbourne, who earned the nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” and once bit a bat while on stage, died on Tuesday last week at the age of 76.
He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 and died 17 days after playing a final gig to a sold-out crowd in Birmingham.
Photo: Reuters
Osbourne’s funeral procession set off at around 1pm on a route planned with the rocker’s family through the English city.
Chants of “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.
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.
Photo: AP
Fan Mhairi Larner said it was “overwhelming” and “very emotional” to be part of the city’s farewell to a star who had 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 traveled from Nottingham.
“He was just nuts, a little bit weird, but it’s nice to have someone like this,” she said.
Another fan, Reece Sargeant, came with friends to say goodbye.
“I think it was important to come and pay our respects... Ozzy and Black Sabbath really put Birmingham on the map,” he said.
The 16-year-old described the band’s last concert as “out of this world.”
Osbourne famously once said he wanted his funeral to be a celebration of his life and not a “mope-fest.”
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