Sharon Osbourne has broken down in tears and held tightly to her children while making her first appearance since husband Ozzy’s death.

Thousands of heavy metal fans lined the streets of Birmingham for the funeral procession of the Black Sabbath frontman, who died last week at the age of 76.

The cortege of the singer known as the “prince of darkness” and the “godfather of heavy metal” was driven through his home city in central England before a private funeral.

It stopped at a bench dedicated to the musical pioneers and Osbourne’s wife Sharon and the couple’s family looked at some of the thousands of flowers and tributes left by fans.

Sharon laid flowers and then burst into tears as she and the family made a peace sign to the crowd.

Sharon Osbourne lays flowers. Photo: AAP

“Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, oi, oi, oi,” some fans screamed as the hearse arrived.

Osbourne had said he did not want his funeral to be a “mope-fest” and celebration was mixed with sadness on the streets, with a New Orleans-style brass band leading the procession.

The hearse carrying Osbourne’s coffin passed the star’s childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, about 12.45pm on Wednesday (local time) on its route into Birmingham city centre.

A hearse carrying the body of Ozzy Osbourne passes fans. Photo: AAP

Graham Croucher, a 58-year-old train driver from Northampton, said Osbourne was an “absolute legend”.

“He was the soundtrack particularly to my life growing up,” he said.

“Black Sabbath are the originators of heavy metal and made such great music. And he dared to be different because he was different.”

Since Osbourne’s death, fans have made pilgrimages to sites across Birmingham, which has embraced its reputation as the birthplace of heavy metal.

“Ozzy was more than a music legend – he was a son of Birmingham,” Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal said.

“We know how much this moment will mean to his fans.”

Grief-stricken Jack, Sharon and Kelly Osbourne. Photo: AAP

This month, Osbourne played a final concert in the city where a star-studded line-up featuring Metallica, Slayer, Tool and Guns N’ Roses paid tribute to Black Sabbath’s legacy.

Black Sabbath hits Paranoid, War Pigs and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath made Osbourne a star in the early 1970s. His antics on stage, most famously biting the head off a bat, extended his fame far beyond metal music.

In 2002, he won new fans when he starred in US reality TV show The Osbournes with Sharon and two of his children, Jack and Kelly.

He died on July 22.

No cause of death was given but the star had disclosed a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2020.

-with AP and PA