Sharon Osbourne's incredible gesture to city of Birmingham ahead of Ozzy's funeral
Sharon Osbourne has made an incredible gesture to the city of Birmingham ahead of Ozzy Osbourne's funeral. Ozzy died last week following a string of health issues, just weeks after his final gig.
The Black Sabbath rocker got to return to his hometown of Birmingham one more time for his gig at Villa Park and lived his final days there with his family. A private funeral will be held tomorrow (Wednesday 30) and before that, a special procession will be held down Broad Street to the Black Sabbath bridge and bench.
The road will be closed from 7am and preparations will get underway before the procession starts at 1pm. The family will follow the cortege down Broad Street and past Black Sabbath bench and bridge, where floral tributes have been left for Ozzy.
It has been revealed that Sharon has funded all the security and costs for the procession. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE, JP, said: "Ozzy was more than a music legend - he was a son of Birmingham.
"Having recently been awarded the Freedom of the City and following his celebrated appearance at the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park earlier this month, 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."
He added: "We're proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began, and we are grateful that they have generously offered to pay to enable this to happen and support the city is giving him the farewell he deserves."
Birmingham City Council have been facing financial strain over the past few years. In 2024, they had to make cuts to local services and residents saw a council hike of nearly 10 per cent amongst other cost cutting and income collecting measures.
A council report in January said they needed to make "savings" of £153 million for the 2025/26 budget. Counciller Rob Pocock, the cabinet member overseeing the council's transformation, said in January that "another tough budget" had to be agreed and delivered. Council leader John Cotton also said that "significant progress" had been made.
"The progress of the last 12 months will be maintained and the savings for 2025/26 will be backed by detailed and credible delivery plans that have undergone rigorous due diligence," he said.
Ozzy's love of Birmingham is clear and he had been desperate to move back to the UK. However, his move home was delayed time and time again by his ailing health - but he finally made it back this year for one final gig.
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Ozzy Osbourne tragically passed away on 22 July aged 76 Ozzy Osbourne's family recently joined fans in paying an emotional farewell to the heavy metal star during an emotional procession in Birmingham. Black Sabbath legend Ozzy tragically passed away on 22 July aged 76. The family statement announcing his death read: "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. 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." Appearing on Friday's Good Morning Britain, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, who has worked with both Ozzy's wife Sharon and his son Jack, shared her condolences to the grieving family. Ekin-Su, 30, was on Celebrity Big Brother with Sharon in 2024, where the two were friendly and bonded on the show. Meanwhile, former Love Island star Ekin-Su is currently starring on Cooking with the Stars with Jack, 39, which was filmed before the death of his father. Appearing on Friday's GMB, Ekin-Su was asked about the heartbreaking news by hosts Kate Garraway and Adil Ray. Ekin-Su said of Sharon: "She is such a motherly figure and I think she's just so loving. Honestly, I feel like he was everything to Sharon and the family so for this to happen so tragically I just want Sharon to look after herself." Host Kate, 58, then jumped in saying: "She looked very vulnerable" to which Ekin-Su repeated: "Very vulnerable!" Kate continued: "We all wanted to hug her." Ekin-Su added: "Bless her, I'm sending all my love to their family. I mean Jack, such a sweet guy! A loss is always heartbreaking and when it's such a known person and it's such an iconic person that's passed away, it hits us all." Host Adil, 51, then said: "It must be difficult for them as they have lived such a public life, of course all those reality TV shows that they did, suddenly these moments, these incredibly personal moments, 'we want to see the funeral, we want to feel part of it', but for them I wonder can you come out of that and really grieve on a personal level." To which Ekin-Su responded: "We are all obviously involved in it but I feel like that is quite private though and I feel like they do need some privacy and some time to grieve privately as well." It comes as Ozzy's family recently joined fans in paying an emotional farewell to the heavy metal star during an emotional procession in Birmingham. Sharon, 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 Ozzy and Sharon's daughters Aimee and Kelly. At one emotional point, the family 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".
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Floral tributes to the rock star first displayed at the public memorial in Birmingham yesterday were on show for the intimate farewell. Goodwill messages have continued to pour in for Osbourne, who died aged 76 last week - and had spoken in the past about his wishes for a lack of funeral fuss. Speaking in 2011 about how he imagined his future send-off, the Black Sabbath legend said : '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. But I do want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest.' The funeral cortege yesterday was led by a live brass band, Bostin' Brass, who performed versions of Black Sabbath songs such as Iron Man, as thousands of tearful devotees lined the streets and sang along in Ozzy's memory. Today, marquees and a music stage had been erected next to pond where the private tributes were paid at his home. Guests were seated under huge awnings due to the rain showers that had fallen earlier in the day - while catering facilities, with their own generators, were provided in the garden. A huge security operation was in place from early this morning to ensure the ceremony was strictly invitation only, in accordance with widow Sharon's wishes. A team of bodyguards and private security dog handlers patrolled the perimeter of the estate and traffic marshals directed traffic through the narrow country lane leading to the Osbourne estate. However, diehard fans did leave flowers outside the gates to their rock idol. Ozzy had spoken in 2011 about his funeral intentions, telling the Times : ' I want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest. '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. It's 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. That's why I don't want my funeral to be sad - I want it to be a time to say, "Thanks".' And he wrote in his autobiography I Am Ozzy, published in 2010: 'Eventually death will come, like it comes to everyone. 'I've said to Sharon: 'Don't cremate me, whatever you do.' I want to be put in the ground, in a nice garden somewhere, with a tree planted over my head. 'A crabapple tree, preferably, so the kids can make wine out of me and get p***ed out of their heads. 'As for what they'll put on my headstone, I ain't under any illusions. If I close my eyes, I can already see it. Ozzy Osbourne, born 1948. Died, whenever. He bit the head off a bat.' As things have transpired, huge crowds gathered along the route hours in advance of Wednesday's 1pm start to pay their respects to the Prince of Darkness whose hits included Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. The hearse carrying the singer's coffin - adorned with purple flowers spelling out 'Ozzy' - had passed the star's childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, shortly after midday. Flowers had been 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 watched by a handful of fans and the current owner of the house. Thousands of people were pictured taking their places not only on Black Sabbath Bridge but along the city centre route along which his cortege travelled towards the Black Sabbath Bridge bench. Elsewhere in London, the Coldstream Guards payed tribute to the heavy metal legend at the changing of the guard by performing their own rendition of his hit-song Paranoid. Fans have left heartfelt messages and floral tributes around the Black Sabbath mural on Navigation Street in recent days to honour the heavy metal star who was born in the Aston area of Birmingham. Members of the public have also signed a book of condolences, opened by Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery, which is currently holding an exhibition titled Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025): Working Class Hero. While organising the procession, Birmingham City Council collaborated with the Osbourne family, who funded all of the associated costs. Ahead of today's follow-up service, the Sun quoted a source as saying: 'Singer Yungblud, who became close with Ozzy in recent years, is going to give a reading. 'His Sabbath bandmates, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler, will be there, along with James Hetfield from Metallica. 'Elton John is also hoping to join the family at the church. 'Sharon and his family have been so touched by messages they received not only from Ozzy's friends, but also his fans around the world.' Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates - Butler with the nickname 'Geezer', Iommi and 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, are 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 noughties 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. Ozzy took to the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death - reuniting with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time since 2005. More than 42,000 fans packed into the venue for the Back To The Beginning show, during which he told the crowd in his final speech: 'You've no idea how I feel - thank you from the bottom of my heart.' A message on screen then read: 'Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,' before the sky lit up with fireworks. He had told of it being his last performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson's in 2020. In a statement shared last Tuesday, Ozzy's family said he died 'surrounded by love' , adding: '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.' He is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack. Daily Mail revealed last Wednesday that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne's grand country home as paramedics battled to save his life for two hours. Friends told the Mail's Alison Boshoff that his heartbroken wife Sharon was considering now burying Ozzy in the gardens of the 350-acre estate in an intimate family funeral. Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15. After serving two months in prison for burglary, he decided to pursue his love of music. By 1970, Black Sabbath - originally going by the name of Earth - had gained a huge following in the US and UK with the release of their first album. Ozzy quit the band in 1978 and four years later divorced his first wife Thelma Mayfair, with whom he had two children, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems. He went on to marry second wife Sharon, who helped him transform into a successful solo artist and the couple had three children together. Ozzy gained a whole new audience of fans with the family's reality TV show The Osbournes in 2001.
