Birmingham to bid final farewell to hometown hero Ozzy Osbourne

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London (AFP) — Heavy metal hell-raiser Ozzy Osbourne will be laid to rest on Wednesday, with thousands set to bid the legendary musician a final farewell when his funeral cortege drives through his UK hometown.

Officials in the central city of Birmingham said Tuesday they have worked with his family to draw up the details of Osbourne’s last goodbye, before a private funeral service.

“Ozzy was more than a music legend – he was a son of Birmingham,” Zafar Iqbal, the lord mayor of the central English city, said in a statement.

“It was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral,” he said.

Osbourne, nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” and who once bit a bat while on stage while performing with his Black Sabbath band, died on July 22 at the age of 76.

The heavy metal star, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, passed away just over a fortnight after playing a final gig before a sold-out crowd in Birmingham.

Birmingham city council said Osbourne’s funeral cortege would pass slowly through the city from 1:00 pm (1200 GMT) down Broad Street to Black Sabbath bridge.

The hearse and vehicles will be accompanied by a live brass band performance by local musicians from Bostin’ Brass.

“We know how much this moment will mean to his fans. We’re proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began,” Iqbal said.

Thousands of fans have left heartfelt messages and floral tributes at the bridge in recent days, mourning the death of the musician who was instrumental in pioneering heavy metal, an offshoot of hard rock.

Iqbal said the Osbourne family “have kindly funded all of the associated costs” of the funeral.

Black Sabbath enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1970s and 80s after forming in Birmingham in 1968.

Black Sabbath’s eponymous 1970 debut album made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records, including their most famous song “Paranoid”.

The group went on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Osbourne was added for a second time last year as a solo artist.

Osbourne gained notoriety for his outlandish stunts, many of them fuelled by his lavish use of drugs and alcohol.

In 1989, he was arrested for drunkenly trying to strangle his wife Sharon, which he once mentioned in a 2007 interview.

His live performances at the height of his hedonism have gone down in rock folklore, particularly the 1982 gig in the US city of Des Moines when he bit a bat on stage.

Osbourne said he thought a fan had thrown a fake rubber bat onstage, and it was not until he took a bite that he realised it was real.

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