The “ home of metal ” is honoring one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans were paying their respects Wednesday to frontman Ozzy Osbourne as his hearse made its way through the streets of Birmingham, the English city where he grew up and where the band was formed in 1968.

Since Ozzy's death, the calls to preserve the pub in Birmingham where Black Sabbath played their first gig and make it a heritage site have grown louder. The pub was built in 1881 and shut in 2014, after it was bought by a Japanese development company. Culture journalist Kirsty Bosley says it is time to reconsider the future of the iconic building.

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) -Thousands of heavy metal fans lined the streets of Birmingham on Wednesday for the funeral procession of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who died earlier this month at the age of 76.