Fans will be able to pay their final respects to Ozzy Osbourne as his body is brought back to his home city for a procession tomorrow.
The Black Sabbath frontman’s hearse will make its way through Birmingham, travelling alongside his family to Broad Street from 1pm, the city council has announced.
The cortege, accompanied by musicians Bostin’ Brass, will stop at the Black Sabbath bridge and bench, where thousands of fans have been gathering since the heavy metal icon died last week aged 76 to leave flowers and tributes.
The event is expected to draw huge crowds as fans gather to say goodbye to the pioneer of heavy metal, giving his family an opportunity to see the memories and tributes left by those who loved him.
Birmingham Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal said the city where Osbourne grew up will give him the ‘farewell he deserves’.
He 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.
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Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne performed with the band at Villa Park in Birmingham just weeks before his death
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Floral tributes have been left on what is known as Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham
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The singer, pictured in Birmingham in 2016, died last week aged 76
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A photograph taken on July 23 shows flowers, candles and drawings left at a makeshift memorial on Black Sabbath Bridge, in tribute
‘We know how much this moment will mean to his fans.
‘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.’
The city council said it had worked ‘at pace’ to co-ordinate a respectful and safe public event in co-ordination with the Osbourne family ahead of a private funeral.
Broad Street will be closed to traffic from 7am and buses and trams will be diverted.
Ozzy took the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death.
The rocker reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005 to bid an emotional farewell to his decades of performing live on stage.
More than 42,000 fans packed into the venue for the Back To The Beginning show, which saw Ozzy and Black Sabbath return to their hometown 56 years after they formed there.
He told the crowd in his final speech: ‘You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.’
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Ozzy took the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park Stadium in his native Birmingham, England less than three weeks before his death
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Black Sabbath fans have been paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne since his death aged 76
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’.
They said: ‘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.
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Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon are seen here on The Mall in London in June 2004
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The heavy metal icon signed off with a farewell gig named Back To The Beginning this month
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.
He spoke in 2011 about how he imagined his future send-off, telling the Times: ‘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. 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”.’
