Ozzy Osbourne: Heavy metal icon to be honored in Birmingham procession
On Tuesday, the City Council in the singer's hometown, Birmingham, England, said that a celebration of the singer's life would be held there on Wednesday, with a hearse carrying his body through Birmingham's main street accompanied by a brass band.
Ozzy Osbourne in full flight in 2022. He died last week aged 76. Credit: AP
The procession will culminate at the Black Sabbath Bench, a tourist attraction dedicated to Osbourne and his bandmates in the heavy metal group that has become a focal point for fan tributes since Osbourne's death at age 76 last week.
Zafar Iqbal, Birmingham's lord mayor, an honorary position, said in a statement that 'it was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral. We know how much this moment will mean to his fans.'
The Osbourne family is covering all costs related to the procession, the lord mayor added. Details of a private family funeral have not yet been announced. A spokesperson for the Osbourne family did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Tributes for Ozzy Osbourne left at Black Sabbath Bench in Birmingham in the wake of his death. Credit: Getty Images
The procession will take place just weeks after Osbourne performed his last show, Back to the Beginning , an all-day festival on July 5 that celebrated the singer's life and music. Held at a soccer stadium in Birmingham, the concert also served as a momentary reunion for Black Sabbath, the band that he and three other musicians formed in 1968.
Heavy metal and rock bands including Metallica, Slayer and Guns N' Roses also played sets and covered Black Sabbath songs at that event, and video tributes from celebrities such as Elton John and Dolly Parton were broadcast on large screens at the side of the stage.
As Black Sabbath's lead singer, Osbourne was widely considered a forefather of heavy metal music, though he achieved more commercial success in the 1980s and 1990s as a solo musician after his bandmates fired him.
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