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Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22, 2025 – fans then launched a petition to demand that Birmingham Airport be renamed in memory of the prince of darkness. An initial statement from someone responsible at the airport gave Ozzy supporters hope. Now the rejection followed – despite tens of thousands of signatures and the support of the Osbourne family.
Tribute to Ozzy – airport should be renamed
Just two days after the heavy metal icon’s death, Dan Hudson, co-host of the podcast “A Gay And A Nongay,” launched a petition on change.org. In it he called for the name of Birmingham Airport to be changed to “Ozzy Osbourne International” – as a tribute to the artist and his birthplace. The campaign now has around 75,000 supporters. Now the Osbourne family has also become aware of the concern and supports the project through statements in an interview.
Because the airport management has now specified its statement and rejected the name change, the Osbournes also support the request. Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy’s daughter, told BBC WM radio that the airport’s name change would be “an incredible tribute to him and the legacy he left behind.” Furthermore, the demand is appropriate because: “This city shaped him, and he shaped this city.” The fan base is also clinging to the call for Birmingham Airport to be renamed after the late Ozzy Osbourne – although CEO Nick Barton dashed that hope in a new statement.
Person responsible clears up confusion – mural painting instead of renaming
An initial statement from the airport in response to the campaign said: “We are currently working on an exciting tribute to Ozzy Osbourne to create a place of remembrance for Birmingham and its fans.” The statement continued: “We are committed to honoring his legacy in our terminal.” These words left a lot of room for speculation. Now the CEO spoke plainly.
As a result of the media attention and pressure that came with it, Barton clarified his statement to BBC WM: “Admirably, Birmingham has an outstanding list of incredibly influential people, from historical figures such as Charles Darwin as well as Robert Plant and Sir Lenny Henry, but the answer is no. The name of the airport is very important to the future development of what we have, which is a great airport but one that is set to continue to grow significantly, which it will do, but based solely on its name.”
Barton added that the airport plans to honor Osbourne’s legacy in the form of a “mural honoring Ozzy and other area greats.”
The last days of the prince of darkness
The metal singer died at the end of July 2025 at the age of 76, just 17 days after Black Sabbath played a farewell concert at Villa Park in Birmingham. Ozzy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019 and has struggled with health problems since then. Shortly before the concert he was admitted to a clinic for an unknown reason. The hospital stay was so secret that not even son Jack Osbourne knew about it.