BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — The “home of metal” is honoring one of its most cherished sons.
Thousands of Black Sabbath fans will pay their respects Wednesday to frontman Ozzy Osbourne as his hearse makes its way through the streets of Birmingham, the English city where he grew up and where the band was formed in 1968.
The hearse carrying Osbourne, who died last Tuesday at the age of 76, will make its way down Broad Street, the city’s major thoroughfare, to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019.
Family members are expected to watch the cortege, which will be accompanied by a live brass band. The procession is being paid for by the family.
Since his death was announced, fans have made pilgrimages to sites around Birmingham, which has over the decades embraced its reputation as the birthplace of heavy metal. Among his peers, Osbourne was metal’s godfather. see more
