Ozzy Osbourne funeral: Black Sabbath frontman remembered as ‘inspirational person' and ‘working-class hero'
Ozzy Osbourne
.
The Black Sabbath frontman, who played a farewell gig in the city earlier this month,
died at the age of 76 last Tuesday
.
His wife, former X Factor judge
Sharon
(72), could be seen hugging the lord mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, after she arrived at the Black Sabbath bench where floral tributes were laid.
She 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 daughters Aimee and Kelly – who all raised their hands in a peace sign while paying their respects.
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Sharon and the couple's children could be seen wiping away tears at the bench as they inspected tributes, with members of the crowd shouting 'we love you Ozzy'.
Each family member 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 have been placed outside the terraced property, close to Villa Park, while the owners of the house have 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.
Sharon Osbourne, Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Aimee Osbourne view tributes to the late Ozzy Osbourne from fans at Black Sabbath Bench. Photograph:Fans at Black Sabbath Bridge after members of the Osbourne family visited. Photograph:Members of the public view tributes at the Black Sabbath Bench as Ozzy Osbourne's funeral cortege travels through his home city of Birmingham. Photograph:Ozzy Osbourne's coffin passed the star's childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston. Photograph: Matthew Cooper/PA
The funeral cortege of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Photograph: Jacob King/PA
Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne view tributes from fans. Photograph:Black Sabbath Bridge bench on Broad Street in Birmingham in memory of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA Wire
The hearse, adorned with purple flowers spelling out 'Ozzy', then made its way down Broad Street before stopping at the Black Sabbath bench, where thousands of tributes, balloons and flowers have been left.
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 a few weeks ago.
One Osbourne fan, called Goose, said Ozzy 'was a family member' and said they discovered heavy metal as a teenager.
'That's when I found, like millions of people around the world, that there was music that was for us, something that understood us,' they said.
'We knew that there was somebody out there that felt the way that we did and it was a constant presence.
'Ozzy helped give that to the world. He was a family member. He felt like a family member to so many people and he touched so many people's lives.'
Evie Mayo, from Wolverhampton, said the heavy metal star had inspired her and everyone in Birmingham.
'I think he was so influential, he was such an inspirational person. I think he really impacted everyone here, especially in Birmingham as well,' she said.
'Now that he's not here any more, you can feel the impact of it. He inspired a lot of people and he was a great person.'
Elsewhere, the lord mayor of Birmingham said that Osbourne was a 'working-class hero' who loved his city.
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Obituary: Ozzy Osbourne, leader of Black Sabbath and one of inventors of heavy metal
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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 5th in a concert that also saw performances from the likes of
Anthrax
,
Metallica
and
Guns N' Roses
. - PA
Sharon Osbourne, Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Aimee Osbourne view tributes to the late Ozzy Osbourne from fans at Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge. Photograph:Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne (hidden) and family members stop to view tributes to the late Ozzy Osbourne from fans. Photograph:Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne stop to view tributes to the late Ozzy Osbourne from fans. Photograph:Tributes for Ozzy Osbourne at the Navigation Street mural in Birmingham. Photograph: Joanna Yee/The New York Times
Fans gather at Black Sabbath Bridge after members. Photograph:
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The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Sharon Osbourne revealed her darkest secrets to me over beer at LA mansion… including tragic sacrifice she made for Ozzy
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Back in 2005, Sharon invited me into their sumptuous Los Angeles home - where MTV reality show The Osbournes was filmed - to talk about her autobiography called Extreme. Ozzy - knowing it was his wife's gig - ambled around making fruit drinks for us then watched on from a polite distance. But he couldn't help interjecting with one-liners. Make no mistake, this was a double act. One Sharon - with a supreme, sharp-elbowed talent for showbiz management - had forged. Advertisement When she first started working with Ozzy in 1979 he was a washed up, drug-addled, alcoholic headbanger who'd been sacked as lead singer of heavy metal giants Black Sabbath. When I interviewed Ozzy three years earlier at their Buckinghamshire home, he'd admitted: 'I'd have beer for breakfast and work me way up. 'I would down four bottles of brandy a day, plus beer, wine, cocaine, pills and pot.' Tearful Sharon Osbourne reads fans' touching tributes to beloved husband Ozzy as she joins family at funeral procession Yet Sharon, 72, saw something in the wildman when most others thought he was an unsalvageable wreck. "When I first met my husband, I knew instantly that for the first time in my life, I was in love," she would later say on her chat show The Talk. Advertisement "He was so funny and quick-witted and yet very vulnerable. And I just thought he was the funniest, sweetest guy I'd ever met." Marriage sacrifice It would lead to marriage, three kids - and an almighty fall out with her father - self-anointed Godfather of Rock Don Arden, who was Sabbath's manager. 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Advertisement "My father really had a temper. He had a voice which could echo through the entire house. "A couple of times, he would whack me and he used to yank my hair. But I wouldn't say I was abused and beaten. In those days it was the normal thing." In adulthood Sharon had struggled with bulimia, telling me: 'Some people do drink and drugs but for me it's food, food, food. It's about having low self-esteem. When I first met my husband, I knew instantly that for the first time in my life, I was in love Sharon Osbourne 'I went through a stage where I loved my husband. I loved my kids, I had a great career and thought, 'What the f*** does it matter what I look like? Have another pint of ice cream, you deserve it'. 'But I was kidding myself. I wasn't well. I was so fat I couldn't get up the stairs. My son Jack used to have to push me up with one hand on each arse cheek while I yanked myself up with the rail. 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Without my wife I would be long dead.' 9 Jack, Ozzy and Sharon at the rock legend's final show Credit: Instagram 9 Ozzy and Sharon were as welcoming and down-to-earth a couple as you could wish to meet, says Oliver Credit: Getty Advertisement During my interview with Sharon three years later she was amazingly candid and witty. As photographer Dave Hogan packed away his camera gear and I put away my notepad, Ozzy piped up: 'Fancy a beer?' Most celebrities can't get rid of journalists quick enough but Ozzy and Sharon were eager to chew the fat. Alcoholic Ozzy produced a four-pack from the fridge, and handed me one while sticking to soft drinks himself. I eagerly asked him about heavy rock yet he explained his real love was The Beatles. Advertisement As welcoming and down-to-earth a couple as you could wish to meet, Ozzy and Sharon were eager to hear about gossip from Britain. They were a hilarious double act and the fierce love between them was evident. 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The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Marilyn Manson & Slipknot lead who's who of rock at Ozzy Osbourne's funeral as family & friends say their final goodbye
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The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
A-list stars join Osbourne family as they lay rock icon Ozzy to rest in grounds of his beloved UK home
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