Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22

Sharon Osbourne Marks Ozzy's 1st Death Anniversary as Birmingham Launches First Ozzy Day

Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22

Sharon Osbourne Marks Ozzy's 1st Death Anniversary as Birmingham Launches First Ozzy Day

Q: How did Ozzy, the 'Prince of Darkness,' become Birmingham’s celebrated 'Working Class Hero'?

Ozzy Osbourne became Birmingham’s “Working Class Hero” because the city saw in him not just a global rock star, but one of its own: a man shaped by Aston’s industrial, working-class life who never lost his Brummie identity. Born John Michael Osbourne and raised in Aston, he came from a modest family—his mother worked in a factory and his father was a toolmaker. He left school young, did manual jobs and had early brushes with trouble, experiences that made his rise feel rooted in the same hardships many Birmingham families knew. Even after becoming the “Prince of Darkness,” his accent, humor and blunt authenticity remained unmistakably local. That authenticity is central to how Birmingham remembers him. Sharon Osbourne said he “never tried to be anything other than what he was,” and that image—funny, real, unpolished—helped turn a heavy metal provocateur into a civic symbol. His openness about Parkinson’s also deepened public respect, making him not only an entertainer but a figure of resilience. Birmingham has reinforced that status through public honors. The free “Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero” exhibition at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, extended into 2026, frames his story as a local boy made good. The city has also launched “Ozzy Day,” while his final Black Sabbath show, “Back to the Beginning,” was staged in Birmingham and raised major sums for charity. In the end, Birmingham celebrates Ozzy because he carried its voice to the world and kept coming home to it.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 22

One year after Ozzy Osbourne died at 76, Sharon Osbourne urged fans to remember him by turning his music up "really loud" and headbanging.
Birmingham prepared its first Ozzy Day on Wednesday, a free celebration in the Black Sabbath frontman's hometown that Sharon said should continue as part of his legacy.
Sharon described Ozzy as authentic, funny and generous, and said support for charities backed by his final Villa Park farewell concert would continue, including work toward a Parkinson's cure.
Ozzy died on 22 July 2025, less than three weeks after the Back to the Beginning show, which Sharon called a beautiful global tribute embraced by fans around the world.