Ozzy Osbourne's family join fans in Birmingham for an emotional farewell

Leader Live

6 days ago

Sharon Osbourne, who was married to the musician for more than four decades, became emotional as she stepped out of a car to view the hundreds of floral tributes and balloons laid around the Black Sabbath bench.
The former X Factor judge, 72, was helped out of the first vehicle in the cortege by her and Ozzy's son Jack, who joined her at the event along with their daughters Aimee and Kelly – who all raised their hands in a peace sign while paying their respects.
The family members wiped away tears at the bench as they inspected tributes, with members of the crowd shouting 'we love you Ozzy'.
Sharon and her children carried a pink rose, wrapped in black paper tied with a purple ribbon, that they laid on top of the many other floral tributes that sat next to a poster of the star, which said 'Birmingham will always love you'.
Sharon kissed the flower she was holding before laying it in the middle of the tributes.
The hearse carrying Osbourne's coffin passed the star's childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, at about 12.45pm on Wednesday on its route into Birmingham city centre.
Flowers were placed outside the terraced property, close to Villa Park, while the owners of the house put up a picture of Osbourne in the front bay window.
The Jaguar hearse and six Mercedes funeral cars, accompanied by police motorcycle riders and a police car, drove slowly along the street on Lodge Road, watched by a handful of fans and the current owner of the house.
The hearse, adorned with purple flowers spelling out 'Ozzy' and a cross on its roof, then made its way down Broad Street before stopping at the Black Sabbath bench.
Musicians from Bostin Brass played Black Sabbath songs to accompany the cortege, and fans threw flowers at the hearse while it slowly passed through the city.
Fans also left tributes outside a mural on Navigation Street, which was created ahead of the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park, which took place a few weeks ago.
Dianne Powell, from Cannock in Staffordshire, laid flowers at the Black Sabbath Bridge after Osbourne's hearse had left.
She told the PA news agency: 'It was crammed in the crowd but really emotional. It's just very sad, I watched him a lot on the TV.
'It was very special to be here. There will never be another Ozzy Osbourne.'
Speaking after Osbourne's hearse left the bridge, John Cahill, from Birmingham, said it was 'an emotional day for a lot of people from around the world'.
He said: 'I've liked Ozzy all my life and when I heard of his passing, as you can see here, it's just touched everybody's heart.
'I just had to be here today. It's been a very emotional day, I did get emotional, I think everybody has.'
Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal hugged Sharon when she arrived at the Black Sabbath bench.
He told PA: 'It was incredibly emotional for me to see her and the family. They are such a loving family and you can see how loving they are.'
Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates – Terence 'Geezer' Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward – were recently given the freedom of the city of Birmingham, which recognises people's exceptional service to the city.
The group, which formed in 1968, is widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal.
Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans when he appeared in the 2000s reality TV series The Osbournes, starring alongside his wife Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack.
The music star, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019, performed his last gig on July 5 in a concert that also saw performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N' Roses.
Osbourne died just over two weeks after Black Sabbath were reunited barely two miles from where they first played together more than 50 years ago.