Ozzy Osbourne’s rock howl helped make him a heavy metal icon before his genial family antics turned him into a reality TV star.

Now celebrities, fans, and devoted locals have flooded the streets of his hometown to honor him before his funeral procession, following the singer’s passing at the age of 76.

The so-called ‘Prince of Darkness’ has been memorialised in Birmingham since last Tuesday’s announcement by his family including wife Sharon.

The frequently visited ‘Black Sabbath Bridge’ in England’s second city has been adorned with floral tributes and was closed off this morning for a visit by his relatives, though the barriers were removed shortly before 10:30 am.

A funeral parade along Birmingham’s Broad Street is planned for 1pm onwards.

Crowds have been gathering early, well in advance, to pay their respects to the singer, known for hits like Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

Thousands of individuals have been captured taking their positions not only on Black Sabbath Bridge but also along the city center route that his procession will traverse.

The hearse carrying Osbourne will proceed down Broad Street toward the Black Sabbath bench around 1 pm, with reports today indicating that the original route from the Five Ways roundabout has been redirected to Sheepcote Street instead.

His family members are anticipated to observe the procession, which will be accompanied by a live brass band called Bostin’ Brass, with the first word being a term from the Black Country.

Fans have left heartfelt messages and floral tributes around the Black Sabbath mural on Navigation Street in recent days to honour the heavy metal star who was born in the Aston area of Birmingham.

Members of the public have also signed a book of condolences, opened by Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery, which is currently holding an exhibition titled Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025): Working Class Hero.

While organising the procession, Birmingham City Council collaborated with the Osbourne family, who funded all of the associated costs. 

One Black Sabbath fan gathering along Broad Street, giving the name of Goose, told today of discovering heavy metal as a teenager and feeling uplifted by Ozzy.

They said: ‘That’s when I found, like millions of people around the world, that there was music that was for us, something that understood us.

‘We knew that there was somebody out there that felt the way that we did and it was a constant presence.

‘Ozzy helped give that to the world. He was a family member. He felt like a family member to so many people and he touched so many people’s lives.’

Fellow fan fan Evie Mayo said the heavy metal star had inspired her and everyone in Birmingham, as she waited by the Black Sabbath Bridge for his cortege to arrive.

She told the PA news agency: ‘I think he was so influential, he was such an inspirational person. I think he really impacted everyone here, especially in Birmingham as well.

‘Now that he’s not here any more, you can feel the impact of it. He inspired a lot of people and he was a great person.’

She added: “He inspired me by, I love his music, absolutely love his music. I’m learning guitar so that I can learn some of his songs.’

Earlier, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal 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.’

Broad Street has been closed to through traffic from 7am today, with buses and trams diverted before the road packed with bars reopens when the event finishes.

Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates – Terence ‘Geezer’ Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward – were recently given the freedom of the city of Birmingham, which recognises people’s exceptional service to the city.

They are expected to attend, while other reported celebrity guests include Sir Elton John. 

The group, which formed in 1968, are widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal.

Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans when he appeared in the noughties reality TV series The Osbournes, starring alongside his wife Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack.

The music star, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, performed his last gig on July 5 in a concert that also saw performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses.

Ozzy took the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death.

The rocker reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time since 2005 to bid an emotional farewell to his decades of performing live on stage.

More than 42,000 fans packed into the venue for the Back To The Beginning show, during which he told the crowd in his final speech: ‘You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.’

A message on screen then read: ‘Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,’ before the sky lit up with fireworks.

He had told of it being his last performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson’s in 2020.

In a statement shared last Tuesday, Ozzy’s family said he died ‘surrounded by love’.

They said: ‘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 is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack.

Daily Mail revealed last Wednesday that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne’s grand country home as paramedics battled to save his life for two hours.

Friends told the Mail’s Alison Boshoff that his heartbroken wife Sharon was considering now burying Ozzy in the gardens of the 350-acre estate in an intimate family funeral. 

Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15.

After serving two months in prison for burglary, he decided to pursue his love of music.

By 1970, Black Sabbath – originally going by the name of Earth – had gained a huge following in the US and UK with the release of their first album.

Ozzy quit the band in 1978 and four years later divorced his first wife Thelma Mayfair, with whom he had two children, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems.

He went on to marry second wife Sharon, who helped him transform into a successful solo artist and the couple had three children together.

Ozzy gained a whole new audience of fans with the family’s reality TV show The Osbournes in 2001.

He spoke in 2011 about how he imagined his future send-off, telling the Times: ‘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.

‘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”.

‘There’ll be no harping on the bad times. 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”.’