Fans of legendary Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne paid their respects to the heavy metal icon Wednesday as his funeral procession made its way through Birmingham, England.
Osbourne, who died last week at the age of 76, grew up in the central England city where Black Sabbath was formed in 1968.
The procession made its way down Birmingham’s Broad Street in the center of the city to a canal bridge named in honor of Black Sabbath. The bridge features a bench with life-size cutouts of the band’s four founding members — Osbourne, Terry “Geezer” Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward.
An emotional Sharon Osbourne, the musician’s widow, stopped at the site and laid flowers at the growing memorial around the bench as fans watched from behind barriers. She was accompanied by the couple’s two youngest children, Kelly and Jack, who starred with their parents in the reality show “The Osbournes,” which aired in the early 2000s.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal also visited the site on Wednesday. In a statement Tuesday, Iqbal said, “Ozzy was more than a music legend — he was a son of Birmingham.”
Crowds of fans turned out ahead of the procession to pay tribute to the singer known as the Prince of Darkness and reflect on the role he and his family played in their lives.
Graham Croucher, a 58-year-old train driver from Northampton, told the Reuters news agency that Osbourne played the soundtrack to his life.
“He dared to be different because he was different,” Croucher said. “And I think we’re celebrating that as well because he was different. And I think we can all see so much of ourselves in Ozzy, but he could do it. He could get away with it.”
Amanda Summers, a 37-year-old singer from Bolton, said she was feeling emotional but glad to be with other people who adored Osbourne and wanted to show support for the family.
“Been a Black Sabbath fan for a long time, watched ‘The Osbournes’ on the TV, so we’ve grown up with these being in our homes, so they’re like our family, you know?” she told Reuters.
Darren Verdi-Ashton, a 56-year-old businessman from Birmingham, said Osbourne’s death was still a big shock.
“I don’t know what will happen when he arrives, but I think I probably will lose it,” he told Reuters.
Since Osbourne’s death, fans have been flocking to the Black Sabbath Bridge and bench, leaving flowers, pictures and notes.
“Final Stop On The Crazy Train?” a handwritten message said on an Aston Villa soccer team shirt that was tied to the bridge last week, referring to the single “Crazy Train” from Osbourne’s debut solo album in 1980. The message added: “But Metal Lives Forever.”
After Osbourne’s death, “Crazy Train” was streamed and played on the radio so much that the song made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time, ranking at No. 46 on its most recent edition.
Fans who couldn’t make it to Birmingham to honor Osbourne were invited to watch a livestream of the bench and bridge.
Iqbal said it was important for the city to have a “fitting, dignified tribute” to the legendary rocker before the private family funeral.
“We know how much this moment will mean to his fans,” he said. “We’re proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began.”
Osbourne retired from touring in 2023, three years after revealing that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative movement disorder.
His death came less than three weeks after he appeared onstage for the final time, reuniting with his Black Sabbath bandmates in a Birmingham concert that featured performances from rock legends influenced by the band.
“You have no idea how I feel,” Osbourne told the crowd of over 40,000 fans that night, according to BBC News. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
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