Ozzy Osbourne honoured with a star on Broad Street

Ozzy Osbourne has been honoured with a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars on Broad Street, presented to him by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham.

The bronze star was unveiled on 6 July, in front of the Black Sabbath frontman and his family.

"I am really honoured. All my family is here and I thank everyone for this reception - I'm absolutely knocked out," he said.

A son of Aston

Osbourne was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948 and grew up in Aston. In 1968 he co-founded Black Sabbath, the Birmingham band widely credited with pioneering heavy metal music.

He sang on the band's first eight studio albums, including Black Sabbath and Paranoid, both released in 1970, and Master of Reality in 1971, before leaving the band in 1979.

A solo star

Osbourne went on to build a hugely successful solo career, beginning with the albums Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 and Diary of a Madman in 1981. He has also reunited with Black Sabbath several times, including from 1997 to 2005.

His wife and manager, Sharon, founded the touring heavy metal festival Ozzfest, and in the early 2000s he became a reality television star through the MTV show The Osbournes, which ran from 2002 to 2005 and introduced him to a whole new audience.

He has already received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in April 2002. His latest album, Black Rain, was released in May.

The Walk of Stars

The Birmingham Walk of Stars on Broad Street honours people from the city who have made their mark in entertainment, music and culture. Osbourne's star joins those celebrating other famous names with Birmingham connections.

Honouring Osbourne on Broad Street recognises the place of Black Sabbath, and of heavy metal, in the city's cultural history.

The star can be seen on the pavement on Broad Street in the city centre.

His solo success continued through the 1980s and 1990s. Bark at the Moon, released in 1983, went on to sell three million copies in the United States, and No More Tears in 1991, featuring "Mama, I'm Coming Home", was one of his biggest records. He won a Grammy in 1994 for "I Don't Want to Change the World".

In 1992 he announced a "retirement tour" called No More Tours, a pun on No More Tears, but the retirement was short-lived and he was soon back on the road.

The Osbournes, the MTV series that followed the family at home, won an Emmy and became a worldwide hit.