Ozzy Osbourne was remembered in a moving procession through his hometown in Birmingham on Wednesday.
Thousands of fans lined the streets to pay their respects to the Prince of Darkness before his family gathered for a private service.
Amongst the attendees was the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, who shared a sweet anecdote about the late rocker.
"He never forgot where he came from, he will be remembered lovingly and you can see that from the crowds," Zafar said.
© Getty ImagesSpeaking in an interview with Sky News, Zafar said Ozzy sent him a letter after reading on his website biography how he had struggled with dyslexia at school - something the late singer identified with.
Ozzy had spoken openly about his dyslexia throughout his life. In a 2018 interview with British GQ, Ozzy touched on his struggles with dyslexia, saying: "I am terribly dyslexic and have attention deficit disorder, so I have to carry a tape recorder everywhere I go."
© RedfernsOzzy's farewell
The Black Sabbath singer was farewelled in a poignant cortege yesterday through his hometown of Birmingham.
Thousands of dedicated fans lined the streets for hours to pay tribute to the singer as his funeral procession made its way down Broad Street.
© Anadolu via Getty ImagesAs well as this, the singer's family, including his wife, Sharon Osbourne, his children Jack and Kelly Osbourne and his rarely-seen children Aimee and Louis, were all in attendance.
Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal walked along the thousands of floral tributes that had been left at the Black Sabbath bridge before praising the late music legend. "He's a true legend and he put Birmingham on the map," he told Sky News.
© Getty Images"I've got the letter in a frame and it's in my office... he was just a natural human being, down to earth. You wouldn't have known he was a rock star - but he was a true legend, who never forgot his roots."
Trish Maguire, who was in Birmingham for the procession, told HELLO!: "His music helped many of us, seeing so many people here to celebrate and show support of him is truly amazing. I’m very lucky to be part of this. People are chanting OZZY OZZY OZZY everyone responding OI OI OI. It's a really nice farewell."
In the lead up to the event, Zafar said the city where Osbourne grew up will give him the "farewell he deserves".
© Getty ImagesHe said: "Ozzy was more than a music legend – he was a son of Birmingham.
"Having recently been awarded the Freedom of the City and following his celebrated appearance at the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park earlier this month, it was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral.
"We know how much this moment will mean to his fans.
"We're proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began, and we are grateful that they have generously offered to pay to enable this to happen and support the city is giving him the farewell he deserves."
