Thousands honor Ozzy Osbourne at UK hometown

BIRMINGHAM

Thousands lined the streets of U.K. city Birmingham on July 30 to pay an emotional farewell to hometown hero Ozzy Osbourne as the heavy metal hellraiser was laid to rest.

Black Sabbath front man Osbourne, who earned the nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" and once bit a bat while on stage, died on July 22 at the age of 76.

He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019 and died 17 days after playing a final gig to a sold-out crowd in Birmingham.

Osbourne's funeral procession set off on a route planned with the rocker's family through the English city.

Chants of "Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!" could be heard, with one fan crying out "we love you Ozzy!" as his coffin — sitting in a stately black Jaguar hearse topped with flower arrangements — and other vehicles crawled by.

The procession, which earlier passed the star's childhood home in the city's Aston area, was accompanied by a live brass band performance by local musicians from Bostin' Brass.

Osbourne famously once said he wanted his funeral to be a celebration of his life and not a "mope-fest."

The procession paused at the Black Sabbath bench, an art installation featuring headshots of each member on a bridge also named after the band.

Visibly emotional family members including his widow Sharon Osbourne laid flowers at the bench and read some of the written tributes that have been left there along with balloons and flowers.

Thousands of fans have gathered at the bridge in recent days, mourning the death of the musician who was instrumental in pioneering heavy metal.

The cortege, led by police motorbikes, then continued its slow journey towards a private funeral service.