Ed James
BBC Radio WM

Lee Clarke and his mum, Tracey, got the sleeper train from Plymouth to be in Birmingham today.

Lee booked the day off work, saying it was for a funeral.

"I decided long ago when it happened I would go, thought we’d get more notice," he told BBC Radio WM.

"It’s pretty hard to be a metalhead and not like Ozzy Osbourne.

"All the other music, the other bands, they wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for him."

Image source, Lee Clarke

Tracey said she became a fan in 2015 because of her son.

"It’s just feel the need to be here and show the family how loved Ozzy was, I’m sure they know, but it’s just somewhere I felt I wanted to be today."

"He was an ordinary man, an extraordinary, ordinary man."

Ian Youngs
Entertainment and Arts reporter

Eliza, aged 10, has brought an umbrella with bats hanging from it as a tribute - and is in prime position with her mother and grandmother on Black Sabbath Bridge.

“Ozzy is a local lad, a boy from Aston, and he's allowed kids like me to dream big,” she says. “Ozzy is Birmingham.”

They have also made a sign saying “Goodnight Ozzy, Birmingham forever” with more bats on it.

Mum Claire Finn-O’Shea adds: “It's very important for Birmingham people especially. It's a city in mourning, and we love what Ozzy did for the city. We love that he stuck to his roots.

“I feel like we will get upset today when we see the coffin.

“It feels like it's a big deal, and it's so generous of the family to bring him home to Birmingham, because for the fans to be involved that's a massive thing.”

The band due to accompany Ozzy's cortege treated fans to a preview of their set earlier.

Sabbath's Iron Man got the brass treatment.

Bostin' Brass will accompany the cortege and they were looking forward to playing a fitting tribute to Osbourne.

The band played at New Street Station when Ozzy the mechanical bull was unveiled in his new home after the Commonwealth Games.

Leader Aaron Diaz said he liked to think Sharon Osbourne heard the strains and thought of them for the cortege.

The celebration of Ozzy Osbourne is set to be a momentous day for Birmingham, said Jez Collins, founder of the Birmingham Music Archive.

"Of course at the heart of it is a family that are grieving, we should not forget that, but I think it is a celebration for all that Ozzy stood for, all that Ozzy was and all that Ozzy represents," he said.

"And he represents us as Brummies".

Image source, PA Media

He has shone a "global spotlight on Birmingham through himself and his work," he added.

"He seems to have galvanised a sense of civic pride - he's a Brummie who's done well, who's not lost his roots, he's still one of us.

"His legacy will be there for years to come," he said.

Colin Paterson
Entertainment Correspondent, BBC News

At about 13:00 BST Ozzy Osbourne’s cortege will make its way down Broad Street in Birmingham city centre.

The road, which runs through the city's entertainment district, has been shut since the early hours to allow fans to gather.

Image source, PA Media

Sharon Osbourne says the family will stop to look at the hundreds of tributes including flowers football tops and alcohol that have been left at the Black Sabbath bench over the last week.

Ozzy Osbourne once spoke about plans for his funeral saying that he didn’t mind if there was a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are the Diddymen just as long as it was a celebration and not a mope-fest.

Josh Tranter
BBC Radio WM

Laura Vivash from Dudley and Jen Butler from Smethwick were among fans to have bagged a prime spot after arriving before 06:00 BST.

Today was "all about Ozzy and getting the chance for that last farewell in his home town," said Laura.

"I feel sad," Jen added, "because now the realisation has hit that Ozzy has gone, and it's not a good feeling."

"But I had to be here because he's given us so much throughout the years that it's time for us to pay something back to him."

"I'm going to cry," said Laura.

"It's just going to be all of the emotion of everything and how many years he's been part of my life musically it's just that last moment, and it's just going to hit then that he has actually gone".

Stacey Harrison from Shrewsbury was among the first to arrive at Broad Street in order to bag a good spot.

She "just started crying" seeing the tributes, she said.

"It just takes your breath away," she added. "It's an amazing tribute to an amazing man".

She said her and her two children had packed a picnic last night in order to get ready for the day.

It was "really important," to be part of the proceedings, she added.

"It just means the world to say thank you and goodbye, and show the family how much he's loved and how much we're going to miss him."

There's been a steady stream of fans arriving with thousands now jostling to get their spot near the Black Sabbath Bridge and bench ahead of the cortege passing by.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

This is what they can expect

• A hearse, and accompanying vehicles, slowly making their way down Broad Street from 13:00 BST stopping at the Black Sabbath Bridge and bench
• A live brass band performance from locals Bostin' Brass who will be part of the cortege
• Ozzy's family will stop at the bench to see the thousands of messages and floral tributes left in recent days
• The cortege will then make its way down Broad Street, past the Library of Birmingham
• Travel restrictions are expected to be lifted by 16:00

Image source, PA Media

The Black Sabbath Bridge on Broad Street has become a focal point for fans and stars alike, and it's where the family will stop later to read tributes.

It has it's own webcam, where you can watch a live stream , external- but owners, Westside Business Improvement District said that demand for the stream was so high they were having trouble keeping up.

It's also a good place to take a selfie.. with Pantera and James Hetfield from Metallica - who played the recent Villa Park show - among artists to have posted images recently of themselves at the landmark.

Image source, Pantera

We've met some more people who've turned up with their dogs to watch Ozzy's cortege travel along Broad Street.

Millaise is here with her owner Martin Lawrie.

Both have been Black Sabbath fans "since the year dot," he said.

Toni-Ann is here with Doc, a rescue dog from Worcestershire.

"We brought him today because what we like, he likes. He's family," she says.

"Ozzy loves dogs and we've come to pay our respects," she adds.

In 1995, BBC Midlands Today reporter Gary Hudson took Ozzy back to his old house and school in Aston, Birmingham.

He visited the terraced home on Lodge Road where he lived with his parents and five siblings as well as Prince Albert Junior and Infant School.

The Black Sabbath frontman was back in the West Midlands as part of a solo tour which included a gig at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton.

Chloe Hughes
BBC News

As well as Broad Street and the Black Sabbath bench, there are several other places around the city where fans can pay tribute to the metal legend.

The Black Sabbath mural on Navigation Street has seen dozens of people stopping to leave flowers and messages.

Mr Murals, the man behind the art, was also there finishing an up-to-date picture of the band.

Just across the road, Birmingham New Street station is home to Ozzy the giant mechanical bull, which was unveiled in its home by Ozzy's wife Sharon in 2023.

And at the other side of the station is The Crown pub - where Black Sabbath played their first-ever gig. The windows have been covered in black and white photos of the band.

The Working Class Hero exhibition at Birmingham's Museum and Art Gallery is free and running until 28 September.

It celebrates the solo achievements and global awards of Osbourne and the album art of the original Black Sabbath line-up.

The museum is also hosting a book of condolence, external for fans to sign, until 3 August.

In an interview with BBC Midlands Today, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi said losing Ozzy was "like losing a brother".

"I still think he's there and I still go to text him [but] he's not there anymore," he said.

The pair met at school in Aston, Birmingham, before being catapulted into the limelight with Black Sabbath and forging the heavy metal genre.

They were best friends for 57 years.

Josh Tranter
BBC Radio WM

His government name is Bruce but this assistance pup is now called Doggy Osbourne, according to his owner, Rory Brown-Lowe.

"Today he's come as Doggy Osbourne, with Osbourne glasses, and an Osbourne hat," he said.

"I just hope it'll cheer everybody up a little bit, it's still a sad day, hopefully it will make people feel a little bit better."

Rory said he had come down today in tribute of Ozzy, to meet people, and raise awareness of assistance dogs.

Image source, Getty Images

Kelly Osbourne said she lost her best friend as she spoke publicly for the first time following the death of her father.

The 40-year-old, who shot to fame when sitcom The Osbournes aired from 2002 to 2005, quoted lyrics from Black Sabbath song Changes in an Instagram story on Friday.

The father and daughter released a cover of the song in 2003, which reached number one on the UK singles chart.

Posting the opening lyrics with a broken heart emoji, she said: "I feel unhappy I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had."

Josh Tranter
BBC Radio WM

Back on the 12th July some fans got to meet their Osbourne heroes.

The Prince of Darkness was at Comic Con Midlands to offer fans a meet and greet with himself plus Sharon, Jack and Kelly.

Guests had to pay a thematically-fitting £666 for the experience.

One of those fans is in Broad Street today.

"I was one of the lucky people that was honoured to be able to meet the Osbornes on the 12th of July, he was a hero to me and to so many people," said fan, Goose Giroud, from Australia.

"As far as I’m aware I was the last member of the public to take a solo photo with him."

Goose said the entire family was down-to-earth and warm.

"I knelt down next to him for the photo after saying a few words, and we held each others hand."

"As I leaned in, I felt him pull us together with his left arm and it was so strong.

"I wouldn’t want to go against Ozzy in an arm wrestle – he was so physically strong."

Goose has an Ozzy tattoo and said he wouldn't want anybody to be moping

"He brought so much joy to so many people around the world."

"We've got to try and take to heart what he said - no more tears."

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal said Osbourne's cortege would be a chance for the city to pay its last respects to one of its "greatest living legends".

The city was proud to host the event, Iqbal said, and was grateful the family had offered to pay for it so it could happen.

Describing Osbourne as a "son of Birmingham", Iqbal said: "He put Birmingham on the map. He put Aston on the map."

He said he queued up to sign a book of condolence for Osbourne and spoke to fans, adding: "The love they showed for Ozzy and his family was immense."

Iqbal has also spoken about how he met Osbourne and the rest of Black Sabbath when they were given the freedom of the city, just over two weeks ago.

Image source, Darren Quinton/Touchstone Visuals

Josh Tranter
BBC Radio WM

Brummie Jordan McKee has been waiting near the Black Sabbath bench on Broad Street since the early hours.

He has drawn a portrait of Ozzy, who he said was an icon and a legend, and hopes to be able to give it to Osbourne's wife, Sharon.

"It's never going to lessen the blow... whether she gets it or not, I don't know."

"This is a part of history, nothing like this will ever happen again in Birmingham."

"To be a part of it, even if she doesn’t get to see it, it’s an honour to be here."

Ozzy Osbourne's death came just 17 days after he, his Black Sabbath bandmates and some of the biggest names in rock came together for the Back To The Beginning concert - billed as a farewell gig for heavy metal's pioneering band.

It marked the first time in 20 years that the original Sabbath lineup of Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler performed live.

The band were joined by acts including including Metallica, Guns N' Roses and Slayer with guest appearances from the likes of Ronnie Wood, Steven Tyler and Jack Black.

Thousands of fans flocked to Birmingham for the event at Villa Park, close to Osbourne's childhood home in Aston, and thousands upon thousands was raised for charity.

Image source, Ross Halfin

Image source, Getty Images

The funeral cortege will travel down Broad Street from approximately 13:00 BST towards the Black Sabbath Bridge, Birmingham City Council said.

Broad Street will be closed to through traffic from 07:00 BST, with buses and trams diverted during this time.

Local access will be managed where possible but could not be guaranteed, the authority said, and Broad Street would reopen as soon as possible after the event.

Stewards will be on hand and visitors have been encouraged to arrive early, use public transport and follow safety guidance.