Fans are bidding their final farewell to Ozzy Osbourne.
On Wednesday, thousands of people flocked to the streets of Birmingham, England to honor the legendary rock star as the hearse and accompanying vehicles made their way to the Black Sabbath bridge and bench.
On Tuesday, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE, JP, said it was “important” for the city to honor Osbourne in the city that he loved so much.
“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.”
According to People, Osbourne — who died on July 22 — will also be honored privately by his close family and friends with an intimate funeral.
“They’re very grateful for the special family time they had together before Ozzy passed,” a source told the outlet. “They’re planning a small, private funeral that will be a celebration of his life. Ozzy would never want a mope-fest.”
The source said that the rocker’s family, including wife Sharon, 72, and their children, Aimee, 41, Jack, 39, and Kelly, 40, is “touched by all the love and support pouring in from around the world.”
OZZY OSBOURNE’S DEATH HAS TRIBUTES POURING IN FROM MUSIC LEGENDS AND CELEBRITIES ACROSS THE GLOBE
In a “Dear Ozzy” column for The Times in 2011, Osbourne shared his wishes on what he hoped his future funeral would be like after a fan asked if it was “too morbid to plan your own funeral? Or is it a thoughtful gift for your surviving relatives?”
“I honestly don’t care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are the Diddymen if it makes ’em happy,” Osbourne wrote. “But I do want to make sure it’s a celebration, not a mope-fest.”
“I’d also like some pranks: maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin; or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of ‘death,’” he continued. “There’ll be no harping on the bad times.”
“So to answer your question, yes, a bit of planning is the right thing to do for the family you leave behind,” he said. “It’s worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives. So by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky.”
“That’s why I don’t want my funeral to be sad. I want it to be a time to say ‘thanks.’”
