Ozzy Osbourne fans line Birmingham streets to honour Black Sabbath star
Marissa Davison
, Reuters
Mourners and music fans line the streets to pay their respects as the funeral cortege of Ozzy Osbourne, the late lead singer of Black Sabbath, makes its way through Birmingham, central England.
Photo:
AFP / Ben Stansall
Thousands of heavy metal fans lined the streets of Birmingham on Wednesday for the funeral procession of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who
died earlier this month at the age of 76
.
The cortege of the singer known as "The Prince of Darkness" and the "Godfather of Heavy Metal" was driven through his home city in central England before a private funeral.
It stopped at a bench dedicated to the musical pioneers, and Osbourne's wife, Sharon, and their family looked at some of the thousands of flowers and tributes left by fans.
The family waved and made peace signs to the crowd, many of whom chanted "Ozzy, Ozzy".
Osbourne had said he did not want his funeral to be a "mope-fest", and celebration was mixed with sadness on the streets, with a New Orleans-style brass band leading the procession.
Graham Croucher, a 58-year-old train driver from Northampton, said Osbourne was an "absolute legend".
"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."
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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- RNZ News
Man dies after falling at Oasis gig in London
Oasis peforming at an earlier concert. Photo: AFP STRINGER A man in his 40s has died after falling at a Oasis concert at London's Wembley stadium, police say. Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, who brought the iconic Britpop band back together for a blockbuster world tour this year, told the BBC they were "shocked and saddened" by the fan's death at the Saturday evening (local time) gig. According to a spokesperson for the London Metropolitan Police, officers and medics were called to the scene after 10pm (2100 GMT) following "reports that a person had been injured" at the packed stadium. "A man -- aged in his 40s -- was found with injuries consistent with a fall. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene," the spokesperson said, urging any witnesses to come forward. "Our thoughts go out to his family," a spokesperson for Wembley said, while adding that "tonight's Oasis concert will go ahead as planned". Sunday's gig will be Oasis's last London date of the band's 41-gig reunion world tour after 16 years of estrangement between the famously volatile Gallaghers. The tour has sold around 900,000 tickets, with the group heading to Edinburgh next before its international leg takes them to the United States, Japan, Australia and Brazil. - AFP
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Nashville Babylon: 2 August 2025
This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. Bonnie Raitt Photo: supplied On this week's show there's weighty blues from Slim Harpo and Lightnin' Slim, Scottish soul from the Fleets, rockabilly the Stray Cats plus a classic cut from Bonnie Raitt. Artist: Stray Cats Track: Stray Cat Strut Composer: Setzer Album: Stray Cats Label: Arista Artist: Jawbone Track: Hi De Hi Composer: Zabor Album: Dang Blues Label: Loose Artist: Robert Gordon with Link Wray Track: The Way I Walk Composer: Jack Scott Album: Fresh Fish Special Label: Private Stock Artist: Los Lobos Track: 300 Pounds Of Joy Composer: Dixon Album: Antone's 50th Allstars Label: New West Artist: Slim Harpo Track: Hippy Song Composer: Moore Album: Slim Harpo Knew The Blues Label: Excello Artist: Lightnin' Slim Track: Rooster Blues Composer: Hicks Album: Rooster Blues Label: Ace Artist: The Fleets Track: Please Return To Me Composer: Doyle / MacCaskill / Kelly / Gallacher Album: Single Label: Stax Volt Artist: Tia Blake Track: Plastic Jesus Composer: Rush / Cromarty Album: Folksongs and Ballads Label: SFP Artist: Lana Rebel Track: Woke Up One Morning Composer: Lana Rebel Album: All I Need Label: Artist: Jerry Lee Lewis Track: Crazy Arms Composer: Mooney / Seals Album: Single Label: Sun Artist: Little Anthony and the Imperials Track: Hurt So Bad Composer: Randazzo / Weinstein / Hart Album: Goin' Out Of My Head Label: DCP Artist: Bonnie Raitt Track: I Can't Make You Love Me Composer: Reid / Shamblin Album: Luck Of The Draw Label: Capitol Artist: Bap Kennedy Track: Loverman Composer: Kennedy Album: The Big Picture Label: Lonely Street Discs Artist: The Faces Track: Ooh La La Composer: Lane / Wood Album: Single Label: Warner Bros Artist: The Noveltones Track: Left Bank Two Composer: Wayne Hill Album: Single Label: De Wolfe Music
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- NZ Herald
Jon Toogood on the day Black Sabbath's Ozzy Osbourne poked fun at Shihad's name
'They asked us to play, support them, so they treated us really well,' Toogood told the Herald. Shihad's Jon Toogood performing at Manuka Phuel Full Metal Orchestra on Saturday night. Photo / Southeast Music He described Black Sabbath's vibe over the tour as 'really relaxed' and 'family-oriented', with Osbourne having a 'lovely' backstage presence. 'Ozzy was lovely, always up for saying hello and a quick chat.' He reflected on the final show of the Australian leg, where Osbourne 'sort of gave [Shihad] sh*t about our name' during a jesting conversation with the band. 'How do you get on with a name like Shihad?' Toogood recalled Osbourne asking him, in a recent RNZ interview. 'It was really cute.' Being a guitar player himself, Toogood described meeting Black Sabbath guitarist and riff writer Tony Iommi as 'one of the more exciting' moments in the tour. RIP Ozzy. He provided the soundtrack to our youth and we were blessed to have met him and to have shared a stage with... Posted by Shihad on Tuesday 22 July 2025 'I got to watch one of my favourite metal bands play every night. 'And I got to talk to Geezer Butler, who's the bass player who wrote the lyrics to Black Sabbath's War Pigs ... I signed a few CDs for his nephew, who was a fan of Shihad from Nottingham." Last Saturday, he performed War Pigs – an anti-war protest song from 1970 that's endured as one of heavy metal's greatest hits – alongside the 29-piece Auckland Philharmonia and a band. 'Everyone wants to say their own version of a goodbye to Ozzy, I think, and that song is just a perfect vehicle to do that,' Toogood said. '[It was] a celebration of his life because it's such a great, iconic song, but the lyrics are still so relevant to what's going on in the world.' While he didn't choose War Pigs himself, Toogood was immediately drawn to the track during planning. 'I definitely put my hand up from a list of songs that they were potentially going to do and said, 'F***, I'm keen to do War Pigs if no one else takes it'. 'And they came back and said, 'War Pigs is yours', which made me very happy.' It was the crowd's response to the song that resonated the most with Toogood. 'Having everybody sing ... I mean, we're pretty loud through that PA. And they were louder than the PA, the 6000 people in that room.' Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne performing on stage in 1973. Photo / Getty Images Osbourne, who had Parkinson's disease, died aged 76 on July 22 at his home in Buckinghamshire, England. He was buried last week after a parade through the streets of Black Sabbath's hometown of Birmingham, a 'fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral', Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal said. It wasn't immediately known what caused his death, although a statement from his family said he passed 'surrounded by love', and asked for privacy as they grieved. Just weeks before, Osbourne had reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates in Birmingham for their Back to the Beginning farewell concert. Four-man rock band Shihad, which were formed in Wellington in 1988, announced their retirement last year. Bassist Karl Kippenberger said the decision to end the band had been 'a long time coming', later adding: 'Deep down, I never want this to end.' They announced a nationwide tour to cap off the band's 32-year stint, which began in New Plymouth last December and culminated in a final concert at Spark Arena on March 14. Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.
