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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Birmingham gives an emotional farewell to Ozzy Osbourne as tearful family lead tributes
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Ozzy Osbourne returned to the 'home of metal' for the last time on Wednesday as an emotional Birmingham honored one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans paid their respects to the band's frontman as his hearse made its way through the city center followed by his tearful wife and children. The hearse carrying Osbourne, who died last Tuesday at the age of 76, went down Broad Street, one of the city's major thoroughfare, to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019. 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, oi, oi, oi,' fans screamed. Six vehicles carrying the Osbourne family followed the hearse, accompanied by police motorcycle riders and a police car. The family emerged briefly to inspect the array of tributes, with his wife of 43 years, Sharon, visibly moved and wiping away tears. And long after the hearse had moved on for the private funeral, the city, which has embraced its reputation as the citadel of heavy metal, was pounding to the beat of Black Sabbath. It was in Birmingham, where he grew up, that the world-conquering heavy metal band was formed in 1968. Osbourne embraced the city in central England as much as it embraced him, as was evident on the streets. Long-time fan Antony Hunt said it has been an 'emotional' day and that he wanted to be in the city to pay his respects. 'What's amazing is there's so many, such a wide variety of age groups, from little, little children, teenagers to people in their 60s, 70s, so it's great to see that,' he said. Katie Brazier, head of events at Birmingham City Council, said Osbourne meant 'everything' to the city. 'He never forgot where he came from,' she said. 'You could still hear that Brummie accent wherever he was, you know, I think some people have hidden away from the fact that they are from Birmingham and they've got that accent but he kept it all the way through.' Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates — Terence Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward — were recently awarded the Freedom of the City in recognition of their services to Birmingham. Black Sabbath's story began in Birmingham in 1968 when the four original members were looking to escape a life of factory work. Without doubt, the sound and fury of heavy metal had its roots in the city's manufacturing heritage. Osbourne never forgot his working-class roots. The band has been widely credited with defining and popularizing the sound of heavy metal — aggressive, but full of melodies. Osbourne was Black Sabbath's frontman during its peak period in the 1970s. His antics, on and off stage, were legendary, and often fueled by drink and drugs. He was widely known as the 'Prince of Darkness.' The band's eponymous debut album in 1970 made the U.K. top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit albums, including 1971's 'Master of Reality' and 'Vol. 4' a year later. It went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. At the final show on July 5, 42,000 fans watched the band perform for the first time in 20 years at Villa Park, home of the city's biggest soccer club, Aston Villa, with Osbourne seated on a black throne. Osbourne had been in poor health in recent years, especially after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans in the early 2000s reality show 'The Osbournes' in which he starred alongside Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack. ___ Pylas contributed from London. Hilary Fox And Pan Pylas, The Associated Press
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
In pictures: Birmingham celebrates Ozzy Osbourne
Tens of thousands of people flocked to Ozzy Osbourne's home city on Wednesday, camping out for hours on Broad Street to get a glimpse of his cortege as it drove through travelled from just down the road, others hundreds of miles, bringing with them floral tributes, balloons, and fond memories of the Prince of Darkness and Black were tears, tattoos, tributes and T-shirts - a city determined to give its working class hero the send-off he are some of the best pictures from the day Birmingham said its final goodbye to Ozzy Osbourne. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Frail Sharon Osborne breaks down in tears and is supported by family at Ozzy's funeral procession
A frail Sharon Osbourne threw up a peace sign in thanks to the thousands of metal fans who turned out to see off her husband, the beloved rockstar Ozzy Osbourne. The 72-year-old was overcome with grief as she emerged from a van to see the wealth of tributes that had been left for her husband, who died on July 22, less than three weeks after his final show in Birmingham. A sea of flowers and messages had been left at the 'Black Sabbath Bridge' in the city's Broad Street - which was cordoned off so the family could view the tributes en route to the rock legend's funeral. Accompanied by children Kelly, Jack and Aimee, the reality TV matriarch broke down in tears as she emerged to the cheers of thousands before beginning the walk to the tributes left by the side of the road. Clutching a tissue and a bouquet of flowers wrapped in a black sheet, she stumbles a little, as Jack checks on her, the pair supporting her by her arms. She then laid her own flower as fans called her name and shouted: 'We love you.' Clasping her hands to her face, she wept at the outpouring of love - before giving the crowd a show of gratitude in return, making a peace sign with her hand alongside eldest child Aimee, 41. The funeral cortege was led along the street by local brass band Bostin' Brass, which performed versions of Black Sabbath songs. In front of the van bearing the Osbournes was a Jaguar hearse carrying the singer on his final journey - adorned with a floral tribute in purple that simply read: 'OZZY'.
The Independent
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘There will never be another Ozzy Osbourne': Fans gather for funeral of rock legend
Fans have lined the streets of Birmingham to pay their respects to rock legend Ozzy Osbourne as his funeral takes place. The Black Sabbath frontman's hearse will make its way down Broad Street on Wednesday (30 July), ahead of a private funeral attended by close family and friends, including his wife Sharon. Dressed in full Black Sabbath clothing, fans Karen and Steve Brookhouse, aged 54 and 65, travelled to Birmingham to pay their respects to the man who has been 'the soundtrack of their lives'. 'There will never be another Ozzy,' Karen said. 'Ozzy's music has been there through the good times and the bad.'
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Ozzy Osbourne tributes grow as thousands flock to Birmingham
Thousands of Black Sabbath fans have been flocking to Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne since his death last week - including a family forever touched by the singer's from as far away as Mexico, the USA and Poland have added to the sea of flowers and messages at Black Sabbath Bridge on Broad Street in the heart of Osbourne's home metal fans, it was like the death of the Queen, observed one visitor to the spot this shared their personal stories, including Tom and Kellie who told the BBC how the Sabbath frontman's memory would always be kept alive at home. They named their nine-year-old son after him. "It started off as a joke really," Tom said. "We couldn't agree on a name and we just kept coming back to Ozzy."He was the literal greatest metal frontman of all time."The family, from Preston, Lancashire, were travelling home from London when they stopped off in Birmingham to lay flowers at the the flowers, they added a written message, Tom, 43, said. "Thank you for showing the world that it is possible to come from virtually nothing, from humble working class beginnings, and live life on your own terms."Kellie described Osbourne as a "lovable maniac" who was funny and humble and had loved his family and fans."He was mad but I think that's what took him from being the godfather of metal to being a national treasure," she pilgrimages involved much longer distances. Paulina Pinera, 33, flew to England from Zacatecas, Mexico, on the day Osbourne died."I had planned to come here, but not in this situation. I didn't expect him to pass away on the day I flew over here," she said.A big metal fan since she was a child, Ms Pinera previously saw the band perform in Mexico in 2013 and 2018."My father used to listen to his records every day so I became a huge fan when I was a little girl," she said she wanted to visit the bridge to pay her respects after she was unable to attend Sabbath's farewell gig at Villa Park, close to Osbourne's childhood home in singer, who had Parkinson's Disease, died just days after the performance during which he had sung while seated on a black throne."He's an idol," Ms Pinera said. Emma Wilkes, 24, from Oxford, also visited the tribute scene at the weekend, and said: "As sad as it has been that this has happened, it's also been very much a moment of unity for people."She said other bands "wouldn't have been here" without Black Sabbath."For us in the heavy metal community, it's almost a little bit like when the Queen died," she told the BBC."[Ozzy was someone] we always thought was kind of going to be constant, somebody you could always kind of imagine living forever, even though that's not really true," she said."Every band that has come since, has come from them. It's very much like standing on the shoulders of giants." David Quant, 63, from Wolverhampton, attended the farewell Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park."There wasn't a dry eye in the house when he sang Mama, I'm Coming Home," he recalled tearfully. "That tune was the last tune he will ever do."To see Osbourne perform at what was his final show had been a "dream come true", he he stated, had been the "founder" and "godfather" of the metal scene. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
