Fans have queued to sign a book of condolence for the late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne following his death at the age of 76.
The book has been opened at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, which is currently holding an exhibition about the late singer titled Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero.
Mourners also had the option to leave a voice note in any language they chose by speaking into a red phone.
Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 and died at the age of 76 on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family.
The news came a few weeks after he reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates on July 5 to play a farewell gig at Villa Park – a stone’s throw from where the band was formed in 1968.
Tributes were led by his Black Sabbath bandmates, including Terence “Geezer” Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, along with celebrity friends including Kiss star Gene Simmons and Queen guitarist Sir Brian May.
Earlier on Thursday, Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi spoke on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and described Osbourne as “wild”.
He said: “He was a great young guy. And then obviously, American success got to him, I think. And it gets to a lot of us. You get carried away with all that stuff that one shouldn’t. I did and I’m over it.”
Osbourne was also described by the Lord mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, as a “proud Brummie” who helped put the city “on the world map”.
Mr Iqbal met the founding members of the heavy metal band, formed in the city in 1968, when they were presented with the freedom of Birmingham in June.
He told the PA news agency: “He (Osbourne) was very important and he was a proud Brummie. He loved the city. He will be much missed, I think, and he was loved by so many people in the city.”
Other stars have also honoured the “Prince of Darkness” by paying tribute to him during live concert performances, including Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Alice Cooper.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Cooper said: “He was and will continue to be a rock n roll legend. Rock n Roll is a family and a fraternity. When we lose one of our own it bleeds. I wish I would have gotten to know my brother Ozzy better.”
