Ozzy Osbourne’s widow Sharon and her family are today laying the heavy metal icon to rest in a private funeral at his Buckinghamshire home – as he desired.
The Black Sabbath frontman is being buried in a freshly dug grave close to the lake at the heart of the sprawling 250-acre property close to Gerrards Cross.
The word ‘Ozzy’ was written in one bouquet of purple flowers flanking the pond behind the manor house, and three bunches of purple plants reading ‘OZZY F***ING OSBOURNE’ had been placed next to the lake.
Mourners expected to attend today include Metallica frontman James Hetfield, and Sir Elton John.
Today’s events follow a funeral procession attended by thousands of fans through Birmingham city centre on Wednesday.
Ozzy’s widow Sharon, 72, was supported by their children Jack, Kelly and Aimee who laid floral tributes and made a peace sign as they gestured their gratitude to fans – while accompanied by Ozzy’s son Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley.
Floral tributes to the rock star first displayed at the public memorial in Birmingham yesterday were on show for the intimate farewell.
Goodwill messages have continued to pour in for Osbourne, who died aged 76 last week – and had spoken in the past about his wishes for a lack of funeral fuss.
Speaking in in 2011 about how he imagined his future send-off, the Black Sabbath legend said: ‘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.’
The funeral cortege yesterday was led by a live brass band, Bostin’ Brass, who performed versions of Black Sabbath songs such as Iron Man, as thousands of tearful devotees lined the streets and sang along in Ozzy’s memory.
Today, marquees and a music stage had been erected next to pond where the private tributes were paid at his home.
Guests were seated under huge awnings due to the rain showers that had fallen earlier in the day. Catering facilities, with their own generators, were provided in the garden.
A huge security operation was in place from early this morning to ensure the ceremony was strictly invitation only, in accordance with widow Sharon Osbourne’s wishes.
A team of bodyguards and private security dog handlers patrolled the perimeter of the estate. And traffic marshals directed traffic through the narrow country lane that leads to the Osbourne estate.
However diehard fans did leave flowers outside the gates to their rock idol.
Ozzy had spoken in 2011 about how his funeral plans, telling the Times: ‘I 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”.’
And he wrote in his autobiography I Am Ozzy, published in 2010: ‘Eventually death will come, like it comes to everyone.
‘I’ve said to Sharon: “Don’t cremate me, whatever you do.” I want to be put in the ground, in a nice garden somewhere, with a tree planted over my head.
‘A crabapple tree, preferably, so the kids can make wine out of me and get p***ed out of their heads.
‘As for what they’ll put on my headstone, I ain’t under any illusions. If I close my eyes, I can already see it. Ozzy Osbourne, born 1948. Died, whenever. He bit the head off a bat.’
As things have transpired, huge crowds gathered along the route hours in advance of Wednesday’s 1pm start to pay their respects to the Prince of Darkness whose hits included Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
The hearse carrying the singer’s coffin – adorned with purple flowers spelling out ‘Ozzy’ – had passed the star’s childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, shortly after midday.
Flowers had been placed outside the terraced property, close to Villa Park while the owners of the house put up a picture of Osbourne in the front bay window.
The Jaguar hearse and six Mercedes funeral cars, accompanied by police motorcycle riders and a police car, drove slowly along the street watched by a handful of fans and the current owner of the house.
Thousands of people were pictured taking their places not only on Black Sabbath Bridge but along the city centre route along which his cortege travelled towards the Black Sabbath Bridge bench.
Elsewhere in London, the Coldstream Guards payed tribute to the heavy metal legend at the changing of the guard by performing their own rendition of his hit-song Paranoid.
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.
Ahead of today’s follow-up service, the Sun quoted a source as saying: ‘Singer Yungblud, who became close with Ozzy in recent years, is going to give a reading.
‘His Sabbath bandmates, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler, will be there, along with James Hetfield from Metallica.
‘Elton John is also hoping to join the family at the church.
‘Sharon and his family have been so touched by messages they received not only from Ozzy’s friends, but also his fans around the world.’
Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates – Butler with the nickname ‘Geezer’, Iommi and Ward – were recently given the freedom of the city of Birmingham, which recognises people’s exceptional service to the city.
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 to the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death – reuniting with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time since 2005.
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’, adding: ‘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.
