Drake paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in Birmingham on July 22nd. The Toronto rapper was in the city for a run of UK tour dates and stopped by Black Sabbath Bench to show his respects.
Fans left flowers and letters in memory of the heavy metal legend in his hometown. At some point that night, Drake showed up and reportedly poured some tequila on the ground next to the bench.
He told The New York Times, “I just came out to pay respects to someone who lived it to the fullest,” adding that he was a “cultural touchstone” even for people who didn’t know his music.
Drizzy shared a tribute post on Instagram, which included a black and white photo of him standing in front of the bench covered with bouquets and cardboard cutouts of Osbourne. However, he later deleted the post. “Drank with the NY Times last night for Ozzy,” he wrote in the caption.
As part of his $ome $pecial $hows 4 UK tour, Drake performed several shows at Utilita Arena in Birmingham on July 20th, 21st and 23rd, after headlining all three nights at Wireless Festival earlier this month.
During his July 23rd show, Drake walked out to Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ and told fans, “Hey Birmingham! Rest in peace to the legendary Ozzy Osbourne.”
Osbourne passed away on July 22nd at the age of 76. A statement from the Osbourne family read, “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”