Ozzy Osbourne may have swapped Birmingham's streets for the bright lights of global fame but it felt like to fans that the Prince of Darkness never strayed from his roots. Thousands of fans gathered on Wednesday in Birmingham to pay their respects at his funeral procession as his coffin took a final journey through the city.

The “ home of metal ” is honoring one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans were paying their respects Wednesday to frontman Ozzy Osbourne as his hearse made its way through the streets of Birmingham, the English city where he grew up and where the band was formed in 1968.

Ozzy Osbourne, who was born in Marston Green, a suburb of Birmingham, and who died at the age of 76, was one of the city's most celebrated cultural icons. He and Sharon Osbourne were married for 43 years before his death.