Ozzy Osbourne fans line Birmingham streets to honour Black Sabbath star, Entertainment News
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.
[[nid:720496]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
International Business Times
05-08-2025
- International Business Times
Ozzy Osbourne Cause of Death Revealed: Iconic Black Sabbath Singer Died Aged 76 'Surrounded by Love' Leaving World of Heavy Metal Shattered
Ozzy Osbourne's cause of death has been revealed. The iconic Black Sabbath lead singer suddenly died at the age of 76 on July 22 from cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and Parkinson's disease, according to a death certificate obtained by The Sun on Tuesday. The document was filed by his daughter, Aimee Osbourne, at a registry office in London, according to The New York Times. Ozzy's family had earlier confirmed his death in a statement. "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning," the heartbreaking statement from his family read. Was Suffering from Multiple Ailments Ozzy Osbourne X "He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis," the statement added. The legendary musician was buried last Thursday near the lake at his home in Buckinghamshire. Around 110 guests attended the private ceremony, including family members, music industry figures, and his longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, who led the somber procession. Ozzy Osbourne performing at his last show three weeks before his death X "The day was incredibly emotional," a source told the Sun. "Pictures of Ozzy were dotted throughout the house and a photograph of him was given to everyone who attended to take home with them." "Ozzy wanted his final place of rest to be at home and he is buried at a beautiful point on the lake," the source added. A emotional funeral procession was held the day before the ceremony, winding through the streets of Ozzy's hometown, Birmingham, England. His widow, Sharon, 72, along with their children—Kelly, 40, Jack, 39, Aimee, 41—and his son Louis, 50, joined thousands of fans in paying their final respects to the legendary heavy metal figure. Ozzy Osbourne X Ozzy's grieving family members wore all-black outfits, each adding personal touches to honor his memory. Photoes from the procession captured an emotional Sharon embracing Kelly and holding Jack's hands as she wept before a memorial dedicated to Ozzy, where the family placed purple flowers. Sharon and the children walked closely behind as the hearse transporting the Prince of Darkness' body made its way along Birmingham's well-known Broad Street, stopping briefly at the Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge. A Star Is Gone Ozzy's death came over five years after he publicly revealed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis in January 2020. Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, in Birmingham, England, he earned the nickname "Ozzy" during his early school years. Ozzy Osbourne X Though he faced a tough upbringing, music became a vital escape and source of expression for him. Struggling with dyslexia, learning didn't come easy for Osbourne. He also revealed that he was sexually abused by bullies at the age of 11 and remembered trying to commit suicide during his teenage years. Osbourne credited The Beatles—particularly their 1964 hit "She Loves You"—as the spark that ignited his passion for a career in music. At 15, Osbourne dropped out of school and took on various manual labor jobs. By the time he was 17, he served six weeks at Winson Green prison after being unable to pay a fine for stealing from a clothing shop. Ozzy Osbourne with his wife Sharon Arden X After his release, Osbourne teamed up with his friend Geezer Butler to form their first band, Rare Breed, with Ozzy taking on the role of lead singer. In 1967, Osbourne co-founded Black Sabbath, a band widely credited with helping to shape the heavy metal genre. They produced legendary tracks such as "Paranoid," "War Pigs," and "Iron Man," which became defining songs of the movement. Both the band and Ozzy frequently faced criticism for the dark and occasionally "satanic" nature of their lyrics and themes. Twitter / Ozzy Osbourne "When we started gigging way back when, as soon as we started playing this song's opening chords, young girls in the audience would f–king freak out," Osbourne told NME in 2016. "They thought we were Satan's f–king friends or something." "That's when the whole 'Prince of Darkness' s–t started," he explained about the origin of his nickname. "When people get excited about Halloween coming around each year, all I think is, 'Well, we used to have Halloween every f–king night." In 1979, Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath due to his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction—something he later described as feeling hypocritical, given the band's own lifestyle. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel betrayed by what happened with Black Sabbath," he wrote in his 2009 memoir "I Am Ozzy." "We were four blokes who'd grown up together a few streets apart. We were like family, like brothers. And firing me for being f–ked up was hypocritical bulls–t. We were all f–ked up." Ozzy Osbourne X "If you're stoned, and I'm stoned, and you're telling me that I'm fired because I'm stoned, how can that be? Because I'm slightly more stoned than you are?" he added. That's when Sharon, the daughter of Black Sabbath's manager Don Arden, stepped in to take charge of Ozzy's career as a solo artist. Ozzy went on to release 12 solo albums, featuring iconic tracks like "Crazy Train," "Mama, I'm Coming Home," and "No More Tears."
Straits Times
05-08-2025
- Straits Times
Ozzy Osbourne died of a heart attack, death certificate shows
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE — Ozzy Osbourne performs during a 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert, at Madison Square Garden in New York, on Oct. 30, 2009. Osbourne, the heavy metal and reality television star, died of a heart attack and had suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's, according to a death certificate filed at a registry in London. (Chad Batka/The New York Times) EDINBURGH, Scotland – Ozzy Osbourne, the heavy metal and reality television star , died of a heart attack and had suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's, according to a death certificate filed at a registry in London. The document, which was submitted by Osbourne's daughter Aimée Osbourne, lists cardiac arrest and coronary artery disease among the causes, noting that he had Parkinson's disease. Osbourne's occupation is recorded as 'Songwriter, Performer and Rock Legend.' The certificate says Osbourne died of '(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes).' The New York Times obtained the document on Aug 5. On July 22, the day of Osbourne's death, an air ambulance flew to the singer's home near the village of Chalfont St. Giles in Buckinghamshire, England. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Air Ambulance service said in an email that its team had been 'dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfront St. Giles on July 22,' but gave no further details. After stopping near the singer's home, the ambulance flew about 13km south-west to Harefield Hospital, in Uxbridge, a London suburb, according to Flightradar24, a company that collates data on aircraft movements. The helicopter spent 'about an hour' at the hospital with its engines running, a Flightradar24 spokesperson said. When Osbourne's family announced his death on July 22, they did not state a cause, although the 76-year-old singer had received treatment for numerous health problems in recent years, including a variant of Parkinson's and spinal damage. He told a radio station in February that he could no longer walk. Many heavy metal fans had feared this year that Osbourne was reaching the end of his life, especially after his wife, Sharon, announced in February that he would perform what the family expected to be his last concert. That performance, held July 5 at a soccer stadium in Birmingham, England, was staged just a few minutes' walk from Osbourne's childhood home. (From left to right) Ozzy Osbourne's son Louis, daughter Aimee, son Jack, widow Sharon and daughter Kelly arrive to lay flowers at the Black Sabbath Bridge bench on Broad Street in Birmingham, England on July 30. PHOTO: AFP At that concert, called 'Back to the Beginning,' Osbourne performed two brief sets: one of his solo music and a second with Black Sabbath, the band he formed in 1968 with three fellow Birmingham musicians. During those performances, Osbourne had referred to his health problems. 'I've been laid up for six years,' he told the cheering crowd at one point. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart.' As Black Sabbath's frontman, Osbourne was widely considered one of the creators of heavy metal music. Heavy metal acts like Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax have cited him as an influence. In the 2000s, Osbourne achieved a second bout of fame as a reality TV star thanks to the MTV show The Osbournes, which ran from 2002 to 2005 and documented the singer and his family's daily lives in comic fashion. On July 30, throngs of his fans flocked to Birmingham for a funeral procession in which his coffin was carried through the city in a hearse, before a private funeral. NYTIMES
Straits Times
31-07-2025
- Straits Times
My Perfect Weekend with chef Inderpal Singh
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Chef Inderpal Singh (second from right) and his extended family at the zoo. Who: Inderpal Singh is the winner of the fourth season of MasterChef Singapore (2023), a local Mediacorp reality cooking competition based on the original British show MasterChef (1990 to present). T he 36-year-old former accountant was a home-based F&B business owner for 2½ years, when he sold six-course meals to customers that included butter chicken and chapati. After MasterChef Singapore, he worked at Australian-style wood-fired restaurant Burnt Ends for around six months as its chef de partie. The Singaporean opened his r estaurant, Meh'r by Inderpal, in January. The rooftop eater y i n South Bridge Road serves modern interpretations of South-east Asian fare. On Saturday evenings until Aug 9, Meh'r is offering a SG60 Free-Flow Satay Buffet for $58 a person. Against a backdrop of the National Day Parade fireworks, the 90-minute buffet features a selection of all-you-can-eat skewers alongside a la carte dishes and drinks. Meh'r is closed on Sundays and Mondays. He is married to Ms Sandhya Kaur, 34, who works in tech. The couple have a three-year-old daughter. 'On Sunday mornings, we typically get ready and then head to the temple for some prayers, before visiting either my parents or in-laws to have teh tarik and unwind . A cup of tea usually takes me away and allows me to disconnect from the world. I love eating home-cooked food at my in-laws' place, with ayam penyet being my guilty pleasure. I spend time with my wife too. Despite seeing each other daily, it is usually a rush, so the weekends give us some time to reconnect. I also have tea with people I love or have not connected with in a while. I also love watching, rewatching and reading everything about the Star Wars film franchise (1977 to present). On Mondays, I send my wife to work and daughter to school in the morning before having some time to myself. I usually head to Johor Bahru to get a massage, do some shopping or indulge in some delicious food. I also love the zoo, and it has been my go-to spot since I was a kid. When I was young, my mum started the tradition of taking me there on special occasions like my birthday. Now that I am older, this has translated to me taking my daughter there monthly. '
