One day after thousands of fans flocked to the streets of Birmingham, England to bid farewell to Ozzy Osbourne, close friends and family of the legendary rock star gathered to say their final goodbye in a private ceremony.
On Thursday, Ozzy – who died on July 22 at 76 years old – was laid to rest in the grounds of his own mansion in Buckinghamshire, England.
According to The Daily Mail, the Black Sabbath frontman desired to be buried near a lake on his 250-acre property.
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A huge floral tribute on the grounds of the mansion spelled out the words, ‘OZZY F—ING OSBOURNE’, on the banks of the Osbourne lake, according to the outlet.
Osbourne’s long-time guitarist Zakk Wylde, along with Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson were among the guests who attended. Metallica frontman James Hetfield and Sir Elton John were also reportedly in attendance.
On Wednesday, thousands of people flocked to the streets of Birmingham to honor the legendary rock star as the hearse and accompanying vehicles made their way to the Black Sabbath bridge and bench.
Sharon Osbourne and children Jack Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne, put on a united front as they arrived at the celebration of life, hand in hand.
The hearse carrying Osbourne made its way down Broad Street to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019.
“Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, oi, oi, oi,” fans screamed as the hearse arrived, according to the Associated Press. Six vehicles carrying the Osbourne family, who paid for the procession, followed.
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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.”
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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?”
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“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.’”
