By Marissa Davison and Sarah Mills
Thousands of heavy metal fans lined the streets of Birmingham on Wednesday for the funeral procession of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who died last week at the age of 76.
The cortège of the Prince of Darkness was driven through his home city in central England before a private funeral, stopping at a bench dedicated to the band on the Broad Street canal bridge, along the city’s major thoroughfare.
“Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, oi, oi, oi,” fans screamed as the hearse arrived.
Six vehicles carrying the Osbourne family, who paid for the procession, followed. The family emerged briefly, with his wife of 43 years, Sharon, visibly moved. The family waved and made peace signs to the crowd.
Osbourne had said he did not want his funeral to be a “mope-fest”, but the celebration was inevitably mixed with sadness on the streets while a New Orleans-style brass band led the procession.
Graham Croucher, a 58-year-old train driver from Northampton, said Osbourne was an “absolute legend”.
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath are credited with pioneering heavy metal.Credit: AP
“He was the soundtrack particularly to my life growing up,” he said.
“Black Sabbath are the originators of heavy metal and made such great music. And he dared to be different because he was different.”
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. Among his peers, the singer was metal’s godfather.
“Ozzy was more than a music legend — he was a son of Birmingham,” said city official Zafar Iqbal. “We know how much this moment will mean to his fans.”
Fans laid flowers at the Birmingham mural of the late singer after his death last week.Credit: AP
Early this month, Osbourne played a final concert in the city, where a star-studded line-up featuring Metallica, Slayer, Tool and Guns N’ Roses paid tribute to Black Sabbath’s legacy.
Black Sabbath hits “Paranoid”, “War Pigs” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” made Osbourne a star in the early 1970s, and his antics on stage, most famously biting the head off a bat, extended his fame far beyond metal music.
In 2002, he won new fans when he starred in US reality TV show “The Osbournes”, with Sharon and two of his children, Jack and Kelly.
He died on July 22. No cause of death was given, but the star had disclosed a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2020.
Reuters, AP