Birmingham to honour Ozzy Osbourne with cortege procession in city

Fans will be given a chance to pay their respects to heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne when his funeral cortege travels through his home city of Birmingham.

The Black Sabbath singer’s body will be brought back for a procession that will travel along Broad Street in the city centre from 13:00 BST on Wednesday.

A hearse will make its way to the Black Sabbath Bridge and bench where thousands of fans have left messages and floral tributes. Local musicians Bostin’ Brass will accompany the procession.

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, said it was important to the city that a “fitting, dignified tribute” took place ahead of Osbourne’s funeral. Osbourne died aged 76 on 22 July.

His death was less than three weeks since he took part, along with his band mates, in Black Sabbath’s farewell gig, Back to the Beginning. Dozens of musicians including members of Metallica and Aerosmith performed at the Villa Park concert.

“Ozzy was more than a music legend – he was a son of Birmingham,” Iqbal said.

“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 in giving him the farewell he deserves.”

People from as far away as Mexico, the USA and Poland have since travelled to the city to add to a sea of flowers and messages at the Black Sabbath Bridge.

Broad Street will be closed to traffic from 07:00 BST on Wednesday with trams and buses diverted throughout the day and will reopen as soon as possible after the event, a city council spokesperson said.

Osbourne and his fellow Black Sabbath band members Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler were given the Freedom of the City in June, before the farewell gig.

The city council said it had worked “at pace” to coordinate the event in collaboration with the family, who had funded all of the associated costs.

It said for those not able to make the event, the live stream of the Black Sabbath bench would continue to operate and could be viewed online.

Fans and members of the public who wish to pay their respects can also visit Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where a book of condolence is open, alongside the Ozzy Osbourne Working Class Hero exhibition, which was opened by Sharon Osbourne last month.

Other tributes in the city include the Black Sabbath Mural on Navibation Street; Ozzy the Bull at New Street Station, and The Station pub – a recently-listed building that is globally recognised as the birthplace of heavy metal, where Black Sabbath first played in 1968.