At the ceremony, the original band members of Terence “Geezer” Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bill Ward were presented with their Freedom of the City scrolls and medals by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal.

The Freedom of the City honour is the one of the oldest traditional ceremonies in the country and recognises people’s exceptional service to the city.

Speaking at the event to celebrate their achievements, Shabana said:

Spanning over 50 years and selling more than 75 million records, Black Sabbath have firmly cemented their place in musical – and Brummie – history.

 

They have been around the world hundreds of times over, but have never forgotten their beginnings on the streets of our city.

 

And I’m sure their final show in only one week’s time will be one for the ages.

 

Ozzy, Tony, Bill, Geezer… From a Small Heath girl to the four boys from Aston: thank you.