Ozzy Osbourne funeral procession: Sharon, family and fans say emotional goodbye in Birmingham
Tens of thousands of fans turned out to pay their respects to Ozzy Osbourne on Wednesday at his funeral procession in Birmingham, England, the city where the heavy metal icon grew up and his legendary band Black Sabbath was formed. Osbourne died last week at 76.
The procession made its way down Broad Street in central Birmingham to a canal bridge named in honor of Black Sabbath. Fans, many wearing black and purple in honor of the singer known as Prince of Darkness, lined the road to catch a glimpse of Osbourne's hearse, which was adorned with purple flowers.
Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's widow, and his children Jack, Kelly and Aimee, stopped at the bridge. Sharon appeared to be overcome with grief as she laid a bouquet of flowers alongside hundreds left at a memorial surrounding the Black Sabbath bench, which features life-size cutouts of the band's four founding members: Osbourne, Terry "Geezer" Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward.
Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne lay flowers and view messages and floral tributes left in honor of Ozzy Osbourne at the Black Sabbath Bridge bench in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images)
Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne view messages and floral tributes left in honor of Ozzy Osbourne at the Black Sabbath Bridge bench in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images)
Sharon Osbourne lays flowers at a memorial for Ozzy Osbourne on the Black Sabbath Bridge bench in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images)
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After spending several minutes at the bridge, the family turned to the onlooking crowd, and Sharon flashed a peace sign.
Fans from around the world have been making a pilgrimage to the site in the days since Osbourne's death, which came just weeks after he performed in front of 42,000 people at Villa Park in Birmingham in a sold-out show that was billed as 'Back To The Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow.'
People gather at the Black Sabbath Bridgeon Wednesday, the day of Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession, in Birmingham, England. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
Tributes are displayed at the Black Sabbath Bridge during Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
A fan wearing a hat from "Ozzy Final Bow," Osbourne's last live performance, waits for his funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. ()
'Ozzy was more than a music legend,' Birmingham Mayor Zafar Iqbal said in a statement. 'He was a son of Birmingham."
Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal views the tributes at Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge on Wednesday. ()
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The procession also passed by Osbourne's childhood home.
The event, which was paid for by the Osbourne family, was livestreamed online.
Ozzy's wide-reaching legacy
Fans line up on Broad Street in Birmingham in memory of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne on Wednesday. (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images)
Osbourne, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2020, died on July 22.
'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away,' the Osbourne family said in a statement announcing his death. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love.'
Black Sabbath, which formed in Birmingham in 1968, was credited with pioneering the sound that became known as heavy metal. And Birmingham has embraced its label as the birthplace of the genre.
The funeral cortege for the late Ozzy Osbourne travels through his home city of Birmingham on Wednesday in Birmingham, England. ()
Osbourne, who struggled with substance abuse throughout his life, left the band in 1979. He launched a successful solo career beginning with his 1980 debut, Blizzard of Ozz, which featured the hit single 'Crazy Train.'
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He became known for his wild onstage persona, including infamously biting the head off a bat during a 1982 concert. (He later got a rabies shot.)
Fans wait for Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. ()
Osbourne was inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in 2006, with Black Sabbath, and again in 2024 as a solo artist.
The rocker found a new legion of fans on television in the early 2000s alongside Sharon, Jack and Kelly in the reality series The Osbournes on MTV.
See more photos from Osbourne's funeral procession below.
Crowds watch as the hearse carrying Ozzy Osborne's casket stops at the Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
Flowers and other mementos are left on the Black Sabbath Bridge in honor in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. ()
Fans packed the Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham, England, for Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
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Bruce the dog, who had his name changed today to "Doggy Osbourne," waits to pay his respects. ()
A man lays flowers at a memorial for Ozzy Osbourne in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. ()
Fans hold up flowers and mobile phones as Ozzy Osbourne's hearse travels through Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. ()
A man wears a jacket with an image of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath on the day of the funeral procession of Ozzy Osbourne, in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
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Crowds gather at the Black Sabbath Bridge, named in honor of the heavy metal band, as the funeral cortege of Ozzy Osbourne passes through in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
Tributes are seen before Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. ()
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