At the end of June, I was walking past the train station in Birmingham on my way to meet a friend for lunch. Just across the road is the now-iconic Black Sabbath mural, a striking tribute created by the brilliant Daniel Mr Mural. As I glanced over, I noticed a small crowd gathering and photographers. 

And then I saw Tony Iommi and Bill Ward.

As you do. 

I dashed across the road, nearly tripping over myself in the scramble to get my phone out. I managed to snap a few blurry, adrenaline-fuelled photos just before they climbed into their cars and disappeared.

Later that afternoon, I checked Instagram and saw a post from Ozzy. The entire original Black Sabbath line-up had been there earlier to sign the mural. I had missed Ozzy and Geezer by what must have been mere minutes.

Gutted.

Black Sabbath were in town ahead of their monumental Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park. The city was buzzing, and they had been spotted all over Birmingham. There is currently a Black Sabbath exhibition at the museum (we haven’t seen this one yet but went to the Home of Metal: Black Sabbath – 50 Years exhibition in 2018), they were awarded the Freedom of the City, and they even visited the Black Sabbath bench at the bottom of Broad Street.

They didn’t come alone, either. Steven Tyler was signing autographs outside the Hyatt, James Hetfield made a quiet pilgrimage to the Digbeth street art and the Sabbath bench. Birmingham was alive with music legends, and it has been really exciting.

I can’t claim to be a superfan of Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, or even heavy metal in general (although The Bloke is a die-hard, lifelong metal fan). But after living in Birmingham for nearly 25 years, it’s difficult not to feel a connection to the band and their roots. They are part of the city’s DNA, woven into its streets, its stories, and its spirit. There is the Black Sabbath bench, various murals and street art tributes (with the signatures added a few weeks ago by the band now covered with perspex to preserve them), the artwork outside the Selfridges store in the Bullring and in the windows of The Crown pub that hosted Black Sabbath’s first gig, and the Ozzy Commonwealth Games bull in New Street Station. Their presence is constant – a reminder of the raw, working-class grit and creativity that shaped both the band and Birmingham itself. Speak to any Brummie that was born and raised here, and each one has a personal story of Ozzy or Black Sabbath. 

We couldn’t get tickets to the Back to the Beginning show, but we watched the live stream from home, just seven miles away from the stadium. Even though Ozzy said it would be his last performance, I don’t think anyone truly believed it. He always had this larger-than-life, almost indestructible presence.

And now, just weeks later, he’s gone.

The Black Sabbath artwork in the window of Selfridges in the Bullring.

Birmingham is in mourning. There are floral tributes everywhere, his picture is on the big screens, Ozzy and Sabbath music can be heard blasting from digital advertising vans, the Library of Birmingham was lit up in tribute and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchesta are doing daytime performances in the station. 

I went to see some of the main sites very early yesterday morning to see some of the tributes before the crowds arrive or the council removes them, and standing there alone, looking at the flowers, messages of love and pints of beer, it was an emotional experience.

Tributes at the Black Sabbath bench.

The Black Sabbath Mural.

The Crown Pub – the site of Black Sabbath’s first gig.

Ozzy wasn’t just a rock icon – he was Birmingham’s beating heart, a symbol of brilliance, and, above all, authenticity. His voice, his spirit, and his legacy will continue to echo through this city.

Rest in power, Ozzy.