Birmingham, the hometown of legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne, held a large-scale farewell ceremony for the musician. Tens of thousands of fans gathered to pay tribute to the icon known as the «godfather of heavy metal.»

The procession began with a performance by the municipal orchestra, which played Osbourne’s most famous compositions, including «Iron Man.»

The musician’s coffin was carried through the city streets in a hearse adorned with a floral arrangement in the shape of a purple cross.

The cortege passed by places connected to Ozzy’s childhood — the stadium and houses where he grew up — and then made its way to Broad Street in the city center. There, he was met by massive crowds of fans who threw flowers, chanted the musician’s name, and sang in his honor.

A special moment came with the stop at the Black Sabbath Bridge, where a bench depicting the band’s members turned into a memorial. Throughout the week, fans had been bringing flowers, letters, beer bottles, and bat-shaped balloons — a symbol of Osbourne.

Ozzy’s family joined the ceremony: his wife Sharon with their children Kelly, Jack, and Aimee, his eldest son Louis, Kelly’s fiancé — Slipknot DJ Sid Wilson — and grandchildren. They laid flowers at the memorial, and Sharon, holding back tears, placed a rose among the fans’ tributes. People shouted words of support: «Ozzy forever!» and «We love you, Sharon!» She responded with the iconic peace sign — Osbourne’s signature gesture.

In addition to the bridge, spontaneous memorials also appeared in other iconic places — including near the Black Sabbath mural on Navigation Street and by The Crown pub, where the band gave its first performance. The latter was decorated with black-and-white posters featuring the band.

The ceremony concluded with a private farewell attended only by close family and friends.

Photo: Instagram @ozzyosbourne, BBC, Birmingham City Council

At the age of 76, Ozzy Osbourne — the iconic British musician, one of the founders of Black Sabbath and a pioneer of heavy metal — has passed away.

This was announced by his family in an official statement. As noted, the artist passed away surrounded by his closest loved ones.

«With unspeakable sadness, we announce that Ozzy Osbourne passed away this morning. He was surrounded by the love of his family,» reads the statement signed by his wife Sharon and children Aimee, Kelly, Jack, and Louis. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

In recent years, Osbourne had been battling serious illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease, as well as complications following a fall in 2019, which led to numerous surgeries. Since then, his stage activity had been almost entirely halted.

Nevertheless, in early July this year, the musician appeared on stage one last time — at a farewell concert in Birmingham. Black Sabbath reunited for the first time in nearly 20 years in its original lineup — with Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Terence Butler. Osbourne performed the hits while seated on a special throne due to mobility issues.

The show also featured global rock stars: Metallica, Slayer, Guns N’ Roses, Steven Tyler, and others. The event was attended by over 40,000 spectators and became a true farewell to a musical icon.

As a reminder, Ozzy Osbourne and his band Black Sabbath rose to fame in the early 1970s as one of the founding forces of the heavy metal genre and are considered one of the most iconic acts in rock history.

Together with Black Sabbath — and later as a solo artist, after being fired from the band in 1979 for alcohol and drug abuse — Ozzy sold over 100 million albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the United States.