Ozzy Osbourne's motorcade will make its final journey through Birmingham

2025-07-29 22:50:00, Lifestyle CNA

Fans will have the opportunity to pay their respects to heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne when his motorcade travels through his hometown of Birmingham.

The Black Sabbath singer's body will return for a procession that will travel along Broad Street in the city centre from 1pm BST on Wednesday.

The news was revealed by BBC WM presenter Ed James, who said a trolley will head towards the Black Sabbath Bridge and the bench where thousands of fans have left messages and laid flowers.

Birmingham Mayor Zafar Iqbal said: "We will pay our final respects and tributes to one of Birmingham's greatest legends." Osbourne died aged 76 on 22 July.

His death came less than three weeks after he attended, along with his bandmates, Black Sabbath's farewell concert, Back to the Beginning. Dozens of musicians, including members of Metallica and Aerosmith, performed at the Villa Park concert.

The event, which takes place before a private funeral, will give his family a chance to see the many memories his loyal fans have left along with flowers and tributes, the council said.

Local musicians Bostin' Brass will accompany the procession.

Describing him as a "Birmingham boy", Iqbal said: "He put Birmingham on the world map. He put Aston on the map."

He said he had stood in line to sign a book of condolences, where he had spoken to fans, and said: "The love they showed for Ozzy and his family was extraordinary."

The city was proud to host this event, he said, and added that he was grateful that the family had offered to pay to make this event possible.

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

A letter from Greece said: "To our king of metal, you were a light in the darkness, the most beautiful, humble and glorious madman. We were all very lucky. Thank you for the music. Without you, I'm not sure who I would be."

Broad Street will be closed to traffic from 7am BST on Wednesday, with trams and buses diverted throughout the day and will reopen as soon as possible after the event, a council spokesman said.

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

People are encouraged to show up early and the council said that for those who cannot attend the event, the live stream of Black Sabbath's set will still run and can be watched online.

Fans wishing to pay their respects can also visit Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where a book of condolences has been opened, along with Ozzy Osbourne's "Working Class Hero" exhibition, which was opened by Sharon Osbourne last month.

Rachel Tomlinson, from Birmingham, told the BBC that holding the procession in Osbourne's hometown was "wonderful" because it was "where he rightfully belongs".

"He was always proud to be a Brummie. He makes me proud to be a Brummie. It will be nice to have him again one last time," she said.

Tomlinson described Osbourne and Black Sabbath as the "founders of heavy metal" and that her life would not have been the same without their influence.

"I go to a lot of concerts and festivals, I have a big lifestyle community that surrounds that. Without what they started, I wouldn't have any of this and my friends wouldn't have any of this. It was very important in shaping the way a lot of bands came up. They were inspired by Black Sabbath and what they offered them. It was like an opportunity for everyone, it was very inspiring," she said.

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

Ali Zaman, who lives in Osbourne's former childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, has set up a dedicated email address for fans to send messages and said he has been "inundated".

His parents bought the property from Osbourne's father, he said, adding: "As he became famous, all these fans were coming and they realized they had a problem."

Now Zaman is collecting tributes to the rock icon and said the photos and memorabilia will be placed on a website and will be free for everyone to view.

Meanwhile, a petition to rename Birmingham Airport as Ozzy Osbourne International has gathered more than 46,000 signatures.

An airport spokesman said it would consider how it could celebrate Osbourne's legacy and contribution to the region./ CNA, translated by BBC