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Sharon Osbourne joyful and tearful at Ozzy art show

Sarah Julian
BBC Radio WM
Shyamantha Asokan
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC A woman stands in front of framed pictures on a black wall. She has short dyed red hair and glasses. She is wearing a white suit jacket and a black top.BBC
Sharon Osbourne said her husband Ozzy had been "overwhelmed" by Brummies' love for him ahead of a farewell gig

The opening of an exhibition celebrating the career of Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath's home city was an emotional moment for him, his wife Sharon Osbourne said.

She opened The Working Class Hero exhibition at Birmingham's Museum and Art Gallery on Wednesday.

"I can't begin to tell you how much I love it," she said of the new show. Everything has come from this city."

Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath, who formed in Birmingham in 1968, are set to play a highly anticipated final reunion gig in the city next month.

They posted a photo on X this week of their rehearsals and Mrs Osbourne said the event at Villa Park would be the perfect way to say goodbye.

The band are a much-loved Brummie institution and, in the lead-up to the gig, murals and exhibitions have sprung up or are planned around the city.

An art gallery hall with framed pictures on black walls. There is a poster of a man in the centre of the room, which says "Ozzy Osbourne, Working Class Hero" on it.
The free show at Birmingham's Museum and Art Gallery opened on Wednesday and runs until 28 September

Mrs Osbourne said that, even though the band had enjoyed so much international success, it was important that the free exhibition launched in Birmingham.

"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," she told BBC Radio WM.

She looked delighted as she cut a black ribbon to officially open the show.

The exhibition, which runs until 28 September, includes Osbourne's Grammys and platinum discs, as well as photos and videos that chart his rise from his roots in Aston to global fame.

Ozzy Osbourne Three men sit on a beige sofa. They are all wearing all-black outfits. The man on the left has grey hair and a grey beard. The man in the centre has a black beanie hat. The man on the right has shoulder-length greying hair and a walking stick.Ozzy Osbourne
Osbourne posted a photo from the band's rehearsals for their farewell gig on X on Tuesday

"He's overwhelmed... he can't believe it," Mrs Osbourne said of her husband's reaction to "the love" for him in the city ahead of the gig.

She added that he was feeling "emotional" about the farewell show, because he was "excited to be with the guys in Sabbath [again] and they're all having a great time together, but it's hard to say goodbye."

Black Sabbath was founded by singer Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terence "Geezer" Butler, and drummer Bill Ward.

They are often credited with inventing heavy metal music and won a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys in 2019.

A man and woman stand in an exhibition hall, in front of a poster of a man that says "Ozzy Osbourne, Working Class Hero" on it and a black ribbon. The man is tall and wears grey suit trousers, a black suit jacket, white shirt, pale pink tie and a mayoral chain. The woman has dyed red hair, glasses and is wearing a white suit jacket with a black top underneath and black trousers. There are people standing around the edges of the exhibition hall looking on.
Sharon Osbourne at the exhibition launch with Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal

Mrs Osbourne said she hoped the exhibition would inspire young Brummies and make them think: "If Ozzy did it, I can do it too."

She added: "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."

Osbourne, 76, has largely had to stop touring in recent years due to a combination of Parkinson's disease and spinal injuries.

But his wife said of next month's gig: "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."

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