Ozzy Osbourne will posthumously receive the Lord Mayor’s Award from his hometown of Birmingham, England.
The late Prince of Darkness’ family will accept the honor during a ceremony Wednesday coinciding with Ozzy’s birthday.
The Lord Mayor’s Award recognizes “outstanding achievement or exceptional service to the City and people of Birmingham,” according to the Birmingham City Council website.
The award, one of the city’s highest civic recognitions, will be presented to members of the Osbourne family on December 3, which would have been the late Black Sabbath frontman’s 77th birthday.
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Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Ken Wood will make the presentation, while Lord Mayor Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE will hand over Books of Condolence to the family.
The award acknowledges Ozzy’s contribution to Birmingham’s cultural and musical identity.
Born in Aston, he rose to international fame as the frontman of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath in the ’70s, before launching a successful solo career. With a career spanning more than five decades, the Paranoid rocker sold more than 100 million records, won five Grammy Awards, and became one of only 27 artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
Ozzy’s ties to Birmingham remained strong. His Working Class Hero exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has drawn nearly 400,000 visitors since opening in July. Earlier this year, he and his Black Sabbath bandmates were granted the Freedom of the City ahead of their farewell Back To The Beginning concert.
The Osbourne family said: “We are deeply touched to receive this award in honour of Ozzy. He was so loved by the people of Birmingham and it is great to see the impact he has had in his hometown.”
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Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE described Osbourne as “a proud and much-missed son of Birmingham”.
Deputy Lord Mayor 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.”
Osbourne died in July, aged 76, after years of ill health, including a well-documented battle with Parkinson’s disease.