Birmingham said goodbye to “Prince of Darkness”. Thousands of fans at the funeral of Ozzy Osbourne

Thousands of fans gathered on Wednesday in Birmingham, in his hometown, say goodbye to Ozzy Osbourne and the charismatic leader of Heavy Black Sabbath, also known as the Duke of Darkness. The famous musician died on July 22 at the age of 76.

– Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy! We love you Ozzy! – It was erupted from thousands of fans throats who waited along the street for a funeral procession. Many sang fragments of his songs. The caravan drove through the city center, from Broad Street towards the Black Sabbath bridge. Fans threw flowers on a passing car.

Osbourne's family, including Sharon's wife and Kelly and Jack's children, stopped at the Black Sabbath bench to read farewell cards made by fans among numerous bouquets laid here from the day of the musician death.

“He is Mr. Birmingham,” said about the deceased singer in an interview with Sky News Chris Mason, the owner of the pub at the Black Sabbath bridge. In his opinion, the fact that the funeral is taking place just a hometown of music is of great importance for residents.

Among the crowds of fans paying tribute was the mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, who stated that “it was a great honor to be able to host (Osbourne) here for the last time.”

– You see thousands of people and love for Ozzy, you just feel her in the air. (…) He placed Birmingham on the map – he added.

– Today tears will flow when we see a man from (land) of OZZ – a prince of laughter, not a darkness. He really was. We will all miss him – confessed in an interview with BBC Graham Wright, who was the manager of Black Sabbath concert tour in the 70s. Speaking of the meaning of Birmingham for Ozzy, he added that “he was proud of his workers' heritage, he never drew away from it.”

When the funeral procession passed through the city, a private funeral began with the closest family.

The British media resembled the words of Osbourne himself, who before his death said that he did not care what would happen at his funeral, provided that it would not be depressing.

Who was Ozzy “Prince of Darkness” Osbourne?

Osbourne was a pioneer and legend of heavy metal, both as a member of the Black Sabbath team and in a solo career. The group's debut album was released in 1970. It contained a raw, heavy rock variety and was recognized by critics as the foundation stone of the heavy metal species.

After nine years and eight released CDs of the Osbourne road and the band diverged. The musician started a solo career with great success. In total, he released 11 studio albums, the last of which is “Ordinary Man” from 2020.

The artist has been awarded many times – nominated twelve times in the Grammy competition he won five awards.

The singer gained widespread recognition and status of a celebrity at the beginning of the 21st century, when he appeared in the reality show “Osbourne Family”, broadcast by the MTV channel.

In recent years he has suffered from Parkinson's disease.

His last farewell concert took place on July 5 on the Villa Park stage in Birmingham. Five days later, the musician revealed that he plans to publish his memories entitled “Last Rites”. The book, announced as “shocking, bitterly funny, never before the untrained story about the descent of Osbourne to hell,” is to be released on October 7.

The band Black Sabbath confirmed that in 2026 a film from their last concert with Osbourne will be released.

From London Marta Zabłocka (PAP)

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