Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral cortege is to pass through his home city of Birmingham on Wednesday.
The hearse will travel along Broad Street to Black Sabbath Bridge and the Black Sabbath bench – the sites of thousands of messages, floral tributes and vigils following the metal star’s death last week at the age of 76 – at 1pm BST.
Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal said: “It was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral. We know how much this moment will mean to his fans.”
The Osbourne family has paid for the event and all associated costs, and Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, and children Kelly and Jack – possibly among his other children – will follow the procession before the private funeral later in the day, the details of which have not been made public.
The local brass band Bostin Brass will soundtrack the procession, with members of Black Sabbath and the musician Yungblud thought to be taking roles. Fans at home will be able to watch the procession via an ongoing live stream of the Sabbath bench.
Fans from across the world – including the Canadian R&B megastar Drake, who was passing through the city on tour – have travelled to Birmingham to pay their respects to Osbourne. Iqbal said that he had been moved by accompanying fans in a line to sign a book of condolences, and that Osbourne had put “Birmingham on the map. He put Aston on the map.”
In June, Osbourne and Black Sabbath were given the Freedom of the City ahead of their Back to the Beginning gig, a mammoth, all-star show paying tribute to Osbourne as he and Black Sabbath gave their final live performance. The event raised more than £1m for local charities fundraising for children’s causes and treatment of Parkinson’s, which Osbourne was diagnosed with in 2003.
Evoking David Bowie’s death just days after the release of his final album, Blackstar, in 2016, Osbourne died 17 days after the performance, at home in Buckinghamshire.
Thousands of fans are expected to attend the event: Birmingham council has encouraged mourners to turn up early, and roads will close from 7am. A book of condolences will remain open at the Birmingham Museum and Art gallery, where the exhibition Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025): Working Class Hero remains open.
In 2011, Osbourne told the Times what he hoped for from his funeral. He didn’t care about the music, he said. “But I want to make sure it’s a celebration, not a mope-fest.”
