Birmingham bids farewell to Ozzy Osbourne with an emotional and massive funeral procession

The English city of Birmingham said its final farewell this Wednesday to Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025), its 'prince of darkness' , in an emotional procession that carried the rocker's coffin through emblematic points of the city before thousands of people who filled the streets, reports EFE.

From early morning, the area surrounding the so-called Black Sabbath Bridge, where the bench dedicated to the band's vocalist is located until his death on July 22, was filled with fans of the group wearing T-shirts and leather jackets bearing his name, along with signs with farewell messages.

At around 1:00 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT) , the procession with the hearse, escorted by police and followed by several vans carrying family and friends, began to make its way through various parts of the city, including Villa Park, the stadium of Aston Villa, which he supported.

Three weeks ago, their last concert, 'Back to the Beginning', took place there, with which Black Sabbath closed their career, accompanied by artists such as Metallica, Aerosmith, Anthrax and Guns N'Roses .

The climax was reached on Broad Street with shouts and chants from the fans, who experienced the farewell in a more festive than sad atmosphere, dominated by fond memories of Birmingham's prodigal son.

At a slow pace, and preceded by the Bostin' Brass sextet of musicians, who played songs by the band, the coffin received applause, praise, and flowers before reaching the Black Sabbath bridge.

Since Osbourne's death, this spot has become a place of worship and remembrance of the rocker, filled with flowers, images, candles and other mementos that the city's mayor, Zafar Iqbal , who received the delegation there, was able to observe up close.

Upon arriving at the Black Sabbath bench, the cortege stopped and Ozzy's family and friends , including a visibly emotional widow, Sharon Osbourne , and his children, Jack, Kelly and Aimee , laid flowers and received a standing ovation from those gathered, to which they responded by sketching the peace symbol by raising their hands.

The funeral procession through the streets of Birmingham was followed by a private funeral organized by Birmingham City Council in coordination with the Osbourne family, who funded the event.