When a City Refuses to Mourn: Birmingham Turns a Funeral into Rock’s Wildest Homecoming—As Ozzy Osbourne’s Final Procession Brings Tens of Thousands to the Streets, Grief Collides with Celebration and the Ordinary Becomes Legendary. Behind the Tears, Fans Defy Sadness with Cheers, Balloons, and Leather, While Rumors Swirl About the Real Meaning of This Unprecedented Goodbye. What Happens When a Legend Returns Home Not to Rest, But to Ignite a Movement? As the World Watches, Birmingham’s Farewell to Its King of Metal Shatters Every Tradition—And the Aftershocks Are Only Just Beginning.

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Birmingham said goodbye to one of its own, the “king of metal”, Ozzy Osbourne, on Wednesday

The world got to know them in the Hollywood household portrayed in the Osbournes, but Wednesday’s funeral procession showed a family at the heart of the city which loved them.

Tens of thousands of people lined Birmingham’s streets, chanting, clapping and throwing flowers as rock legend Ozzy Osbourne’s coffin took a final journey through the city.

The procession took place a week after the Black Sabbath frontman’s death at the age of 76 and just weeks after he performed his final concert at Villa Park.

Crowds shouted “Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!” as his cortege made its way through the city, with a tearful Sharon Osbourne adding a pink rose to dozens of tributes left by fans on Black Sabbath Bridge.

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Sharon Osbourne was supported by her children, Jack and Kelly, on Wednesday

Osbourne’s devoted wife of 40 years was accompanied by family members including the couple’s children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack, who were seen gazing over the piles of flowers, gifts and messages and raising their hands in a peace sign while paying their respects.

Former X Factor judge Sharon, 72, was also spotted hugging the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, after she arrived at the Black Sabbath bench.

Birmingham-born Ozzy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, died on 22 July.

The ever growing sea of flowers and tributes since his death indicated crowds would be big and tens of thousands turned up, travelling hundreds of miles from across the country with some from as far away as the USA, Mexico and Spain.

One couple spoke of how their lives were forever changed by the singer’s legacy, having named their nine-year-old son after him.

Some people even told the BBC they had taken the day off work on Wednesday, just to watch the procession.

Image source, ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA/Shutterstock
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Hundreds of floral tributes, messages and cards have been left on Black Sabbath bridge

Birmingham City Council said all the many messages and cards left by fans would be collected for the Osbourne family to read.

Wednesday’s procession was led by a brass band playing Black Sabbath songs with the hearse topped by a purple floral tribute in the shape of a cross, ahead of a private funeral expected to take place on Thursday,

It was a solemn occasion as the city said goodbye to one of its own yet, to many, the atmosphere felt like a celebration of Ozzy’s life.

People came from miles around with their family, friends and children; others came with their dogs, including the likes of Doggy Osbourne, an assistance dog, dressed up for the occasion, with the obligatory rock star shades.

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Assistance dog Doggy Osbourne was dressed up for the occasion

Birmingham was a sea of Black Sabbath tour merchandise, leather and all-black clothing as people flocked to local landmarks to pay their respects to the “king of metal”.

Some people left inflatable bats and dinosaurs, alongside bottles of whiskey and beer.

Crowds gathered at a Black Sabbath mural on Navigation Street, close to New Street station, expressing their sorrow at the loss of the “saviour of weirdos and rebels” with bouquets of flowers and countless messages.

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This artwork, on Navigation Street, has attracted crowds of people who want to pay homage to the Black Sabbath frontman and his bandmates

Canadian rapper Drake was one of many to visit the bridge, arriving not long after Osbourne died and dousing the bench with shot of tequila in honour of a man who he said “lived life to the fullest”.

At his gig at the city’s Utilita arena the same week, he also paid tribute to Ozzy by walking out to Black Sabbath’s Iron Man.

Outside Ozzy’s childhood home in Aston on Wednesday afternoon, people laid flowers on the pavement.

The terraced home is about a 15-minute walk – a stone’s throw away – from where the “godfather of rock” performed for the very last time at his Back to the Beginning concert on 5 July.

Ozzy may have been have been an Ordinary Man, but to the city which loved him, he was extraordinary.

“He’s where he belongs, he’s in Birmingham, he’s back home,” one woman told the BBC.

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Thousands travelled for miles to line the streets as the procession took place

In Sabbath’s most well-known song, Paranoid, Ozzy sang: “Love to me is so unreal.”

On Wednesday, Birmingham gave one of their favourite sons all the real love that they could, and more.

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