A whole host of famous faces are set to attend Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral in his home city of Birmingham on Wednesday.
The Black Sabbath rocker died aged 76 last Tuesday following a battle with Parkinson’s, which was diagnosed in 2019.
The Prince of Darkness’ famous pals can bid farewell to him after his hearse travelled through central Birmingham in the early afternoon, before he’s laid to rest in a private ceremony with his loved ones.
Thousands of fans bade farewell to him as his hearse travelled through central Birmingham in the early afternoon.
Follow our live blog of the Ozzy Osbourne funeral procession
Ozzy’s longtime friend Elton John is thought to be leading the A-listers who will honour the music legend, alongside a slew of rock royalty.
“His Sabbath bandmates, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler, will be there, along with James Hetfield from Metallica,” a source told The Sun.
Ozzy with Elton John (Ian West/PA) (PA Archive)
The insider added: “Singer Yungblud, who became close with Ozzy in recent years, is going to give a reading.
“Elton John is also hoping to join the family at the church.”
Yungblud – real name Dominic Harrison – forged a close bond with Ozzy and his wife Sharon Osbourne after they appeared in the music video for his 2022 song, The Funeral.
The 27-year-old English singer even gave Ozzy a sterling silver cross necklace backstage during his final concert earlier this month.
Elton, meanwhile, has been friends with Ozzy for years. After his death, he called the rocker a “dear friend” who “secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods”.
Ozzy’s wife Sharon and children Jack, 39, Kelly, 40, Aimee, 41, and Louis, 50, who is Ozzy’s son from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, were all at the funeral.
They walked behind the hearse, which paused at key landmarks from Ozzy’s life, including his childhood home on Lodge Road in Aston.
Sharon was seen breaking down in tears as she read tributes to her husband, with her children fighting back tears as they stood next to her.
Crowds erupted into chants of “Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy! Oi! Oi! Oi!” as the cortege passed by, with a brass band performing Black Sabbath’s Iron Man in tribute.
Outside the singer’s former terraced house, floral tributes were laid beneath a photo of Ozzy placed in the front window by the current residents.
The family stepped out to pay their respects, with Sharon seen making peace signs to the crowd and hugging the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, in an emotional moment at the Black Sabbath bench on Broad Street.
Aimee, Jack, Sharon, and Kelly Osbourne at the funeral (Jacob King/PA Wire)
Ozzy’s grandchildren also laid flowers at the memorial, adding to the sea of tributes that had gathered at the site.
The hearse, a Jaguar accompanied by six black Mercedes cars and a police escort, moved slowly through the streets, giving fans a final chance to say goodbye.
Each family member carried a pink flower wrapped in black paper that they laid on top of the many other floral tributes that sat next to a poster of the star that said: “Birmingham will always love you”.
Speaking before the memorial, Birmingham Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal said the city where Ozzy grew up will give him the “farewell he deserves”.
The funeral was held in Birmingham (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)
He said: “Ozzy was more than a music legend – he was a son of Birmingham.
“Having recently been awarded the Freedom of the City and following his celebrated appearance at the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park earlier this month, it was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral.
“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, and we are grateful that they have generously offered to pay to enable this to happen and support the city is giving him the farewell he deserves.”
Ozzy died on July 22 surrounded by his family.
In a statement, his family announced: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.
“He was with his family and surrounded by love.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.news.yahoo.com ’
