Ozzy Osbourne's family join fans in Birmingham for an emotional farewell
Sharon Osbourne, who was married to the musician for more than four decades, became emotional as she stepped out of a car to view the hundreds of floral tributes and balloons laid around the Black Sabbath bench.
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The former X Factor judge, 72, was helped out of the first vehicle in the cortege by her and Ozzy's son Jack, who joined her at the event along with their daughters Aimee and Kelly, who all raised their hands in a peace sign while paying their respects.
The family members wiped away tears at the bench as they inspected tributes, with members of the crowd shouting 'we love you Ozzy'.
Sharon and her children carried a pink rose, wrapped in black paper tied with a purple ribbon, that they laid on top of the many other floral tributes that sat next to a poster of the star, which said 'Birmingham will always love you'.
Sharon kissed the flower she was holding before laying it in the middle of the tributes.
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Sharon Osbourne lays flowers and views the messages and floral tributes left at the Black Sabbath Bridge bench on Broad Street in Birmingham (Jacob King/PA)
The hearse carrying Osbourne's coffin passed the star's childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, at about 12.45pm on Wednesday on its route into Birmingham city centre.
Flowers were 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.
The Jaguar hearse and six Mercedes funeral cars, accompanied by police motorcycle riders and a police car, drove slowly along the street on Lodge Road, watched by a handful of fans and the current owner of the house.
The hearse, adorned with purple flowers spelling out 'Ozzy' and a cross on its roof, then made its way down Broad Street before stopping at the Black Sabbath bench.
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Ozzy Osbourne's coffin and cortege passing his childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston (Matthew Cooper/PA)
Musicians from Bostin Brass played Black Sabbath songs to accompany the cortege, and fans threw flowers at the hearse while it slowly passed through the city.
Fans also left tributes outside a mural on Navigation Street, which was created ahead of the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park, which took place a few weeks ago.
Dianne Powell, from Cannock in Staffordshire, laid flowers at the Black Sabbath Bridge after Osbourne's hearse had left.
She told the PA news agency: 'It was crammed in the crowd but really emotional. It's just very sad, I watched him a lot on the TV.
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Floral and other tributes placed outside the childhood home of Ozzy Osbourne in Aston, Birmingham (Matthew Cooper/PA)
'It was very special to be here. There will never be another Ozzy Osbourne.'
Speaking after Osbourne's hearse left the bridge, John Cahill, from Birmingham, said it was 'an emotional day for a lot of people from around the world'.
He said, 'I've liked Ozzy all my life, and when I heard of his passing, as you can see here, it's just touched everybody's heart.
'I just had to be here today. It's been a very emotional day, I did get emotional, I think everybody has.'
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Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal hugged Sharon when she arrived at the Black Sabbath bench.
He told PA: 'It was incredibly emotional for me to see her and the family. They are such a loving family, and you can see how loving they are.'
The family of Ozzy Osbourne viewed the messages and floral tributes left at the Black Sabbath Bridge bench on Broad Street in Birmingham (Joe Giddens/PA)
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.
The group, which formed in 1968, is 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 2000s 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 5th in a concert that also saw performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N' Roses.
Osbourne died just over two weeks after Black Sabbath were reunited, barely two miles from where they first played together more than 50 years ago.
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Jack Osbourne has paid tribute to his father, Ozzy, and said his heart is filled with 'love and gratitude' as well as 'sadness and sorrow' following the rock star's death. The Black Sabbath frontman, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019, died aged 76 on July 22nd from a reported heart attack. Advertisement Osbourne, his mother Sharon and siblings Aimee and Kelly, joined fans in laying flowers at the Black Sabbath bench in his home city of Birmingham last week. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jack Osbourne (@jackosbourne) In an Instagram post, Osbourne said: 'I haven't really wanted to post anything since the passing of my father. My heart has hurt too much. 'I'm gonna keep this short because he certainly hated long rambling speeches. He was so many things to so many people, but I was so lucky and blessed to be apart of a very small group that got to call him 'Dad'. 'My heart is full of so much sadness and sorrow, but also so much love and gratitude. I got 14,501 days with that man and I know that is such a blessing.' Advertisement Osbourne said a quote from US journalist and author Hunter S Thompson summed up his father, who 'lived his life fully'. He wrote: 'Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body… but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, 'Wow! What a ride!'.' His message was accompanied by a video that featured Ozzy's song So Tired, and showed pictures and videos of the father and son with members of their family. On Tuesday, Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery announced it would be extending its Ozzy Osbourne exhibition to the end of 2025 due to public demand. Advertisement Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero, which was originally due to end on September 28, was opened by former X Factor judge Sharon on June 25 to coincide with the band's July 5 homecoming farewell concert at Villa Park. The free exhibition showcases Ozzy's honours including Grammys, MTV Awards and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame accolades. Kelly, Sharon and Jack Osbourne, view the messages and floral tributes left at the Black Sabbath Bridge bench (Joe Giddens/PA) Birmingham City Council began gathering up tributes left at the Black Sabbath bench on Monday, which will be stored and then handed over to the Osbourne family. The family viewed the tributes last Wednesday during a procession in which the heavy metal star's body was carried through his home city a final time. Advertisement Kelly Osbourne thanked fans for their support in a social media post and said the beautiful messages she received 'have truly helped carry me through the hardest moment of my life'. The siblings featured in the 2000s MTV reality show The Osbournes that shone a spotlight on the family's domestic life, although their older sister Aimee opted not to take part. Ozzy died just over two weeks after Black Sabbath were reunited barely two miles from where they first played together more than 50 years ago. The Back to the Beginning benefit concert saw performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica, Yungblud and Guns N' Roses. Advertisement The singer and his Black Sabbath bandmates – Terence 'Geezer' Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, were the last to appear on stage as part of the star-studded line-up. The group who formed in 1968 and were known for songs including War Pigs and Paranoid, were given the freedom of the city of Birmingham in June, which recognises people's exceptional service to the city.
