Ozzy Osbourne funeral: Public procession planned through Birmingham

Herald Sun

7 days ago

The Prince of Darkness will be laid to rest in an intimate gathering.
A week after the death of Ozzy Osbourne at age 76, his family is arranging a way to honour the late rocker.
'They're planning a small, private funeral that will be a celebration of his life,' a source told People 'Ozzy would never want a mope-fest.'
Fans will be given a chance to pay their respects to Osbourne, as his funeral cortege travels through his beloved home city of Birmingham.
Osbourne's body will be brought back to the city for a procession that will travel along Broad Street from 1pm on Wednesday, local time (10pm AEST).
The procession, which takes place ahead of the private funeral, will pause at the Black Sabbath bench and bridge.
Osbourne's loved ones, including his wife Sharon, 72, and their kids Aimee, 41, Jack, 39, and Kelly, 40, are all 'touched by all the love and support pouring in from around the world.'
The former Black Sabbath frontman has previously made his funeral wishes clear.
In a Dear Ozzy column for The Times of London in 2011, Osbourne was asked about his future memorial.
'I honestly don't care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are the Diddymen if it makes 'em happy,' he revealed to the outlet. 'But I do want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest.'
Osbourne added, 'I'd also like some pranks: maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin; or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of 'death.' There'll be no harping on the bad times.'
'So to answer your question, yes,' he continued, 'a bit of planning is the right thing to do for the family you leave behind.'
For the heavy metal icon, Osbourne felt it was 'worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives. So by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky.'
With that notion in mind, the musician concluded, 'That's why I don't want my funeral to be sad. I want it to be a time to say 'thanks.''
In 2023, the reality star — who revealed his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2020 — also insisted that he 'doesn't fear death' and was well-aware that he had 'at best 10 years left.'
'I don't fear dying, but I don't want to have a long, painful and miserable existence,' he explained to Rolling Stone. 'I like the idea that if you have a terminal illness, you can go to a place in Switzerland and get it done quickly. I saw my father die of cancer.'
'But look, I said to Sharon that I'd smoked a joint recently and she said, 'What are you doing that for? It'll f–king kill you!'' Osbourne admitted. 'I said, 'How long do you want me to f–king live for?!' At best, I've got 10 years left and when you're older, time picks up speed.'
The late star noted about his union to the former talk show host: 'Me and Sharon had our 41st wedding anniversary recently, and that's just unbelievable to me.'
At the time, he also shared that he wanted to feel 'well enough' for one more live performance before his time was up.
'If I can't continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, 'Hi guys, thanks so much for my life,'' he told the outlet. 'That's what I'm working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I'll die a happy man.'
Along with plans for his memorial, Osbourne also detailed how he wanted to be remembered.
In recent years, Osbourne had undergone multiple surgeries, including going under the knife for a debilitating spinal injury in 2019.
'I mean, I'm 73. People go, 'Well, you're 70… why don't I throw the towel in?' Why should I? People still want to buy my records,' he told People. 'People still want to see me, so why should I? It motivates me to get off my backside and do something. I mean, if my career had gone down the toilet and I knew it was the end, I'd be pretty miserable.'
On July 5, Osbourne was able to turn one of his dreams into a reality. The singer performed at Black Sabbath's 'Back to the Beginning' farewell concert in his native Birmingham, England.
Osbourne, who couldn't walk on his own anymore, sat in a black leather chair. He sang five songs solo, and was then accompanied by his former bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler for four final Black Sabbath tunes.
'You have no idea how I feel,' he told the crowd at Villa Park. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart.'
This article originally appeared on the New York Post
Originally published as Ozzy Osbourne funeral: Public procession planned through Birmingham