Latest news with #BBCRadioWestMidlands
Perth Now
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Sharon Osbourne thinks Ozzy Osbourne's fans will 'carry him' through Black Sabbath farewell show
Sharon Osbourne believes that Ozzy Osbourne's fans will "carry him" through Black Sabbath's farewell gig. The 76-year-old rocker will bring the curtain down on his legendary career with the Paranoid band at the long-awaited Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park in Birmingham next month and his wife is convinced that the support of the crowd will enable the Prince of Darkness to deliver a grandstand finale despite his battle with Parkinson's disease and spinal injuries. Sharon told BBC Radio West Midlands at the opening of a new exhibition in Ozzy's honour in the city on Wednesday (25.06.25): "I just think that the crowd are going to carry him, they're going to sing with him, and it's just going to be a great celebration." The 72-year-old star cut a black ribbon to open The Working Class Hero exhibition and felt it was important that it launched in Birmingham, the city in which Black Sabbath were formed in 1968. Sharon said: "I can't begin to tell you how much I love it. Everything has come from this city. "It just wouldn't be right if (it launched) in New York or Los Angeles... because it all began here and this is where it belongs." Sharon revealed that her husband has been "overwhelmed" by the love for him in Birmingham ahead of the epic concert on July 5 - where he will perform alongside his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time in 20 years. She said: "He's overwhelmed... he can't believe it. "(He is) excited to be with the guys from Sabbath (again) and they're all having a great time together, but it's hard to say goodbye." The exhibition includes Ozzy's Grammy awards and platinum discs, as well as showcasing photos from his rise to global stardom, and Sharon hopes that it inspires youngsters living in the city. The former X Factor judge said: "Everybody said he'll end up in a factory and die in a factory. And no, he wanted more from his life. He wanted to travel, he wanted to entertain, and look at what he did." Ozzy is adamant that the gig - which will also feature performances from the likes of Metallica and Guns N' Roses - will be the definitive end to his career in music. He told Mojo magazine: "After this show, I'm going home, closing the door and will look back upon the great career I've had. But I'm done, done, done! You gotta know when to call it quits."
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
How to listen: BBC Radio WM
BBC Radio West Midlands crew are out in Paris to cover tonight's Champions League quarter-final. They'll be on air at Parc des Princes from 19:00 BST with commentary on 95.6FM, DAB and Freeview channel 714 in the West Midlands. Want to have your say? The phone-in is after the game until 22:30.
The Guardian
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ozzy Osbourne ‘very proud' as Birmingham to honour Black Sabbath
Being awarded the Freedom of Birmingham 'means a lot' to Ozzy Osbourne and the members of Black Sabbath, Sharon Osbourne has said, as the city council is prepares to approve the honour. Ozzy, alongside the founding band members, Tony Iommi, Terence Butler and Bill Ward, will be given the honorary title in recognition of their service to the city, with councillors expected to give the go ahead on Tuesday. The council is also set to approve the posthumous award of the City of Birmingham Medal to the late poet, Benjamin Zephaniah, for his 'unique and distinguished contribution' to the field of literature and for his charitable and community work. Sharon Osbourne said her husband was 'very proud' to receive the honour. 'It means a lot to him, it really does, to be recognised from his home. He's very excited,' she told BBC Radio West Midlands. 'He couldn't quite believe it, he thought I was winding him up. He said: 'Really, me? But I've been in prison!'.' In a statement, Ozzy Osbourne said he was 'honoured and shocked' to receive the honour. 'I'm a proud Brummie from Aston through and through. I'm still amazed to this day that no one outside of Birmingham can understand a word I say, but that's always made me laugh,' he said. 'My only regret is that my mom and dad are not here to see what I became. Birmingham for ever!' Black Sabbath, which have sold more than 75m albums worldwide, were formed in 1968 in Aston, Birmingham and are considered one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time. The band have a bench in their honour in the centre of Birmingham. A large mechanical bull from 2022 Commonwealth Games, on display in New Street station, was named Ozzy after a public vote. Sharon added her husband was 'dying to come home' from the US and live in Birmingham, but health setbacks meant that plans to do so had fallen through. 'He really, really wants to come home and that's what been a bit tough, because each time he's made arrangements to come, something happens,' she said. 'We're not home here. It's not where we're from, it's not what we are. People here have been fantastic to Ozzy, but it's not his home.' She said they were donating Ozzy's awards and platinum discs to a museum in Birmingham: 'It belongs in Birmingham, it needs to stay in Birmingham,' she said. 'He owes so much to Birmingham, it's his blood, that's who he is.. If he'd have been was born anywhere else, he wouldn't be the story that it is today, so he totally embraces his history and what Birmingham means to him.' The Crown pub, where Black Sabbath played their first gig, was given listed status last year after falling into disrepair in recent years, and there have been calls for a permanent museum commemorating heavy metal music in the region.
