KELLY OSBOURNE presented with OZZY OSBOURNE's Lord Mayor's Award and books of condolence
04-12-2025
Birmingham paid tribute to one of its most iconic sons, Ozzy Osbourne, in a heartfelt private ceremony celebrating his life and legacy.
In celebration of his achievements, The Deputy Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Ken Wood, posthumously presented the Lord Mayor’s Award to Ozzy‘s daughter Kelly Osbourne, who accepted it on her father’s behalf. The Lord Mayor, Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE, also presented the city’s Books Of Condolence to Kelly, containing thousands of messages written in the days after Ozzy‘s death in July.
“It’s been a bit of an emotional one for me,” Kelly told BBC Radio WM. “Birmingham is so special to him and never in my wildest dreams did I expect the outpouring of love that we received. There is no place like Brum.”
“He was the people’s person, he never changed and was always the working class hero,” Kelly added. “He never thought he was better than anybody else, he just loved what he did so much, entertaining and making people happy.
“My dad has shown the world not just Birmingham, but Birmingham particularly, that you can be a boy from Aston and be everything.”
In a separate video message (see below), Kelly said: ”Hello, I’m Kelly Osbourne, and I just wanna take a second to thank the people of Birmingham for not only showing my family so much love, but for showing up for my father in a way that made him the happiest man on the planet. I mean, we’re here today receiving the Lord Mayor’s Award. We got to see the Books Of Condolences that have hundreds of thousands of signatures in it. It’s beyond our wildest dreams. We can’t thank you enough.
“The one thing that my father was most proud of is that he was a Brummie, and Birmingham has done him proud.”
The award ceremony took place on Wednesday, December 3, on what would have been Ozzy‘s 77th birthday.
The Lord Mayor’s Award is one of Birmingham’s highest civic honors and celebrates individuals and groups’ outstanding achievement or exceptional service to the City and people of Birmingham.
The award honors Ozzy‘s outstanding service to Birmingham, acknowledging his impact on the city’s cultural and musical identity.
Born and raised in Aston, Ozzy achieved global stardom and success as a musician, both as the lead vocalist of pioneering heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH and in his later solo career.
During his career, Ozzy sold over 100 million records worldwide, and is one of only 27 artists in history inducted into the famous Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame twice. In his incredible 56-year career, he won five Grammys and became the face of Birmingham, a city he loved his whole life. And Brummies loved him back — almost 400,000 visitors have seen his “Working Class Hero” exhibit at the Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery since July.
In recognition of his achievements, last July Ozzy was honored with the Freedom Of The City Of Birmingham alongside the original band members of BLACK SABBATH ahead of their farewell “Back To The Beginning” concert.
The Osbourne family commented: “We are deeply touched to receive this award in honour of Ozzy. He was so loved by the people of Birmingham so it is great to come back and see the impact he has had in his hometown and how he continues to inspire generations of Brummies’ and fans across the world. I would like to thank the Lord Mayor for this special recognition.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE said: “Ozzy was and always will be a proud and much missed son of Birmingham. Having achieved worldwide success, he never forgot his Brummie roots, so I am honored to present the award to his family in a fitting tribute of everything he has done for our city. Ozzy forever!”
Deputy Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Ken Wood added: “Ozzy Osbourne was more than a music icon — he was a proud son of Birmingham whose influence reached every corner of the globe. Presenting the Lord Mayor’s Award to his family is a deeply meaningful way to honor his incredible legacy and the love he always had for this city. Ozzy will forever be part of Birmingham’s story.”
Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease.
A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of Ozzy‘s friends and family members attended the service.
The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.
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