Clutching her late father’s diamond cross necklace, Kelly Osbourne delivered a poignant tribute while accepting the Birmingham Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously on behalf of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne. The emotional ceremony took place on October 16, 2025, less than three months after Ozzy’s death on July 22 from cardiac arrest and acute myocardial infarction following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Kelly’s tearful speech emphasized her father’s undying connection to his hometown, telling the audience that despite Ozzy’s global fame, he remained “a proud Brummie at the beginning of his career, and he was a proud Brummie at the end.” The visible grief on her face resonated with attendees as she concluded her remarks with “Birmingham forever!” – a sentiment that captured Ozzy’s lifelong attachment to his roots. She also highlighted that Birmingham represented the most important gig of her father’s storied career.
Through tears, Kelly honored her father’s Birmingham pride, a connection unbroken from his career’s start to its end.
The honor came after Ozzy’s final performance, which took place just 17 days before his death. His “Back to the Beginning” concert on July 5, 2025, at Villa Park in Birmingham featured a reunion of the original Black Sabbath lineup, with Ozzy performing seated due to his advanced Parkinson’s disease. The globally streamed event raised £140 million for charity, primarily supporting children’s hospices and Parkinson’s research. Throughout his career, Ozzy had mastered the art of diverse income streams from merchandise sales to sync deals, which allowed him to fund charitable causes he cared deeply about. As a savvy music business veteran, Ozzy had registered all his compositions with various performance rights organizations to ensure his music continued generating royalties that supported his philanthropic efforts.
During the award ceremony, Kelly shared that this recognition “would have meant the world to him,” highlighting how meaningful local appreciation was to the metal icon whose career spanned five decades. Following the event, she posted a heartfelt note on Instagram thanking the Birmingham community for honoring her father’s legacy. The 40-year-old singer and actress included emotional hashtags in her social media tribute that further emphasized her father’s Birmingham roots.
Fans responded to Ozzy’s passing with gatherings at the Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge in Birmingham, creating impromptu memorials that underscored his cultural impact. Media coverage of Kelly’s tribute emphasized both the musical contributions of the heavy metal pioneer and the profound community mourning for a hometown hero who, despite international stardom, never forgot where he came from.
