Thousands of metal fans are filling the streets of Birmingham to mourn to one of the city’s favourite sons, the Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne.
Osbourne’s coffin will be carried through the city centre to Black Sabbath Bridge at 1pm on Wednesday. The website hosting a live stream appeared to crash 90 minutes before it was due to start.
A private funeral will be held at a church near his home in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, on Thursday. Bandmates, family and other rock stars — including Sir Elton John, Metallica’s James Hetfield and the British singer Yungblud — will be there.
The Broad Street bridge named after the band has been covered in tributes for days
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Roy Brownlowe, 64, brought his dog Bruce
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Zafar Iqbal, the lord mayor of Birmingham, said that the procession was a way to “pay our last respects and homage to one of the greatest living legends of Birmingham”. He added: “He put Birmingham on the map. He put Aston on the map.”
Birmingham has responded in kind, leaving so many tributes on the bridge that stewards have been deployed to ensure pedestrians can pass. “The love [fans] showed for Ozzy and his family was immense,” Iqbal said.
Black Sabbath created heavy metal in 1970 with songs like Paranoid and War Pigs, and reunited for a farewell show barely a fortnight before Osbourne’s death aged 76 on July 22. The concert, watched by almost six million paying fans online, raised about £140 million for Acorns Children’s Hospice, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the charity Cure Parkinson’s.
Osbourne sang nine songs from a black throne at Back to the Beginning
Fans from around the world have travelled to Birmingham to pay their respects. “To our king of metal, you were a light in the darkness, the most beautiful, humble, glorious madman,” one tribute said. “We were so lucky. Thank you for the music. Without it, I’m not sure who I’d be.”
Broad Street in Birmingham will be closed to traffic for most of the day. Bostin Brass Band, a fixture of the city’s live music scene, will accompany the procession with Osbourne’s family.
A book of condolence is open at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which is hosting an exhibition opened last month called Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero.
On same day as the procession, the band Iron Maiden announced the death of its original singer, Paul Mario Day.
Day, 69, joined Iron Maiden in 1974 before leaving the band in 1976. He then joined another heavy metal band, More. Iron Maiden’s self-titled debut album was released in 1980.