Fans weep, chant and drape gifts as Ozzy Osbourne’s coffin winds through his home city of Birmingham

Birmingham ground to a halt on Wednesday as tens of thousands of fans packed the city’s streets to bid a final, tearful farewell to one of its most iconic sons: Ozzy Osbourne. The Black Sabbath frontman, who died last week at the age of 76, was honoured with a grand funeral procession that drew mourners from across the globe.

People lined the roads in silence and song. Some wept openly, while others chanted “Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!” as the coffin passed. Black-clad crowds tossed flowers onto the hearse, which was crowned with a purple cross made entirely of flowers. A brass band solemnly played Black Sabbath classics as the city marked the end of an era.

The cortege made its way past Black Sabbath Bridge, where Osbourne’s widow, Sharon, visibly emotional, laid a single pink rose among the mountain of tributes left by fans. She stood surrounded by their children – Jack, Kelly, and Aimee – all dressed in black, acknowledging mourners with raised peace signs and gentle nods.

It wasn’t just a funeral. It was a homecoming.

Born in Aston, just a short walk from Villa Park where he performed his final concert on 5 July, Ozzy Osbourne spent a lifetime pushing boundaries, embracing chaos, and becoming the global face of heavy metal. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, he continued to perform until the very end.

On Wednesday, his city responded in kind.

Fans travelled from as far as the US, Mexico, and Spain to pay tribute. Some took the day off work. Others brought their children or even their dogs, including one assistance animal dressed as “Doggy Osbourne” — top hat, cape, and circular sunglasses completing the look.

Outside Ozzy’s childhood terraced house in Aston, bouquets piled on the pavement. Just weeks earlier, he had stood mere minutes away onstage, performing what would be his last concert. Now, the street was hushed, save for soft sobs and the occasional strum of a guitar by tribute musicians.

Black Sabbath murals became pilgrimage sites. On Navigation Street, fans flooded the pavement, leaving beer bottles, inflatable bats, dinosaur toys, and hand-scrawled notes. Some called him the “saviour of weirdos and rebels.” Others simply wrote “thank you.”

Sharon Osbourne was seen hugging Birmingham’s Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal, offering quiet gratitude before continuing through the sea of tributes. She later joined her children at the Black Sabbath bench, the family standing silently before the images of Ozzy and his bandmates.

Canadian rapper Drake, who happened to be in the city, paid his respects at the same bench earlier in the week, pouring a shot of tequila in tribute. At his Utilita Arena concert days later, he walked onstage to the sound of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man.

The city council confirmed that all cards and tributes left by fans would be collected and passed on to the Osbourne family.

A private funeral is expected to take place on Thursday. But for Birmingham, the public procession was what mattered. It was the chance to say goodbye. To say thank you. To honour the man who turned the ordinary into the extraordinary.

“He’s back where he belongs,” one woman said through tears. “He’s home.”