Fans of Black Sabbath have been expressing their sorrow after seeing a distraught Sharon Osbourne honoring her late husband, Ozzy.
On Wednesday, July 30, Sharon’s three children—Jack, Kelly, and the seldom seen Aimee—joined the thousands of fans who lined the streets of Birmingham to pay their respects.
Heartbroken fans had left hundreds of bouquets at the famous Black Sabbath bench, and Sharon and her kids each placed a lilac flower wrapped in black paper on top of the wave of floral tributes.
A black hearse travelled the streets of Birmingham, with a purple cross on top and flowers spelling out Ozzy’s name.
The frontman of Black Sabbath and reality TV star passed away at the age of 76 last week, just weeks after performing at the iconic Back To The Beginning farewell concert held in his honour.
His family announced a statement at the time, saying: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to declare that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.
“He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
As well as laying a floral tribute for her late husband, an extremely emotional Sharon was noticed raising two peace signs to the sky before breaking down in tears.
Many fans of the band have explained this as a affecting tribute to Ozzy, who was known for the gesture.
A fan shared their reasoning on Facebook: “Just an observation from a guy who has been a Sabbath/Ozzy fan since the 70s. Some will say I am nit picking and not respecting how others view things. But I am seeing a lot of posts and pictures of billboards with images of the devil horns hand sign.
“Now I know that sign has become the ‘official’ sign of rock and roll, but Ozzy’s gesture has always been the double peace sign.
“It was [Ronnie James] Dio that did the horns and made them popular with rock and roll long after Ozzy had been doing the double peace signs. Let’s all please remember just another one of the things that Ozzy brought us!”
During the funeral procession today, the hearse passed by Ozzy’s childhood home, a two-bedroom terrace house at 14 Lodge Road in Birmingham.
It wasn’t announced to fans that the cortege would pass the location, with many collecting opposite the famous Black Sabbath bench and lining the promoted route.
Many fans threw flowers onto the front of the hearse as it passed by, while attended by the sounds of the Bostin Brass band playing covers of Ozzy’s songs.
Sharon was seen sharing a hug with the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, who shared about what Ozzy meant to the people of the city.
He shared: “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.”