San Francisco Frontiers - Thousands honour Ozzy Osbourne at UK hometown funeral procession

Black Sabbath frontman 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 at around 1200 GMT 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.

Fan Reece Sargeant came with friends to say goodbye.

"I think it was important to come and pay our respects.... Ozzy and Black Sabbath really put Birmingham on the map," he said.

The 16-year-old told AFP the band's last concert had been "out of this world".

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.

- 'Tribute' -

"Ozzy was more than a music legend - he was a son of Birmingham," Zafar Iqbal, the lord mayor of the central English city, said in a statement.

"It was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral.

"We're proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began," Iqbal, who could be seen hugging family members when the procession stopped in central Birmingham, added.

Black Sabbath enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1970s and 80s after forming in Birmingham in 1968.

Their eponymous 1970 debut album made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records, including their most famous song "Paranoid".

The group went on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Osbourne was added for a second time last year as a solo artist.

Osbourne gained notoriety for his outlandish stunts, many fuelled by his legendary indulgence in drugs and alcohol.

In 1989, he was arrested for drunkenly trying to strangle his wife Sharon, which he once mentioned in a 2007 interview.

His live performances at the height of his hedonism have gone down in rock folklore, particularly the 1982 gig in the US city of Des Moines when he bit a bat on stage.

Osbourne said he thought a fan had thrown a rubber bat onstage, and it was not until he took a bite that he realised it was real.

E.Jones--SFF