Sharon Osbourne is ensuring her late husband Ozzy Osbourne‘s final wish will be fulfilled when he is laid to rest in a private ceremony.

On Wednesday, the Prince of Darkness was honoured with a public parade in Birmingham, with thousands lining the streets to pay their respects while the family laid flowers and read tributes.

Now the star is set to be buried in an intimate family funeral on Thursday, after the Daily Mail revealed last week that Sharon wanted to bury Ozzy in the gardens of their 350-acre Buckinghamshire estate.

While the resting place may seem unusual, an unearthed extract from the rocker’s 2009 autobiography, I Am Ozzy, has revealed that the Prince of Darkness had expressed this wish to Sharon years before his death.

In the tome, Ozzy was musing on the subject of death as he penned: ‘Don’t get me wrong: I don’t worry about that kind of heavy-duty stuff on a daily basis.

‘I’ve come to believe that everything in life is worked out in advance. So whenever bad s**t happens, there ain’t nothing you can do about it. You’ve just gotta ride it out. And eventually death will come, like it comes to everyone.

‘I’ve said to Sharon: “Don’t cremate me, whatever you do?” I want to be put in the ground, in a nice garden somewhere, with a tree planted over my head.’

He continued: ‘A crabapple tree, preferably, so the kids can make wine out of me and get p***ed out of their heads.

‘As for what they’ll put on my headstone, I ain’t under any illusions.

‘If I close my eyes, I can already see it: Ozzy Osbourne, born 1948. Died, whenever. He bit the head off a bat.’

Last week, Sharon’s friends feared the X Factor star would be ‘too frail’ to go through a larger, public service.

They told the Daily Mail: ‘I don’t know if she will feel strong enough to have a big memorial for all the people who want to say goodbye to him.

‘We think she may want to bury him privately at home, in the garden.’

This is what Sandra Cash, the widow of rock guitarist Jeff Beck, did for her husband when he died suddenly of bacterial meningitis in January 2023.

On Wednesday, the family gathered in Ozzy’s hometown of Birmingham to pay their respects.

Huge crowds lined the streets and led chants of ‘Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, Oi, Oi, Oi!’ as well as singing Black Sabbath songs as they waited for the hearse to arrive.

In heartbreaking images, Sharon was struggling to compose herself, shaking as she held onto her daughter Kelly’s hand while weeping.

Upon hearing the crowd cheer, she threw up a double peace sign – a gesture which has become synonymous with the late metal star.

Ozzy previously revealed he didn’t want his funeral to be a sad occasion but a time to say ‘thanks’.

‘There’ll be no harping on the bad times,’ he told The Times back in 2011.

‘It’s worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives, so by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky.

‘That’s why I don’t want my funeral to be sad, I want it to be a time to say ”thanks”’

Ozzy insisted he wanted it to be a celebration rather than a ‘mope-fest’ and that he didn’t care what music was played as long as it made his loved ones happy.

‘I honestly don’t care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are the Diddymen if it makes ’em happy,’ he quipped.

Known for his humour, Ozzy joked he’d like to play a prank to make people smile, such as a playing a video of him asking a doctor for a second opinion on his death.

However, in another interview a few years later, Ozzy narrowed down his song choice to A Day In The Life by The Beatles.

Ozzy has previously credited The Beatles for inspiring him to become a musician himself, revealing he became an avid fan after hearing their 1964 hit She Loves You.

When asked about his funeral song, Ozzy insisted he would want a Beatles number being played rather than any of his own music on the day.

‘I really need a few more years to think this over, but probably something from ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Revolver,’ he told NME in 2016.

‘I definitely don’t want my f**king greatest hits album – I never ever play that thing, I’m f**king embarrassed about it. And I definitely don’t want a f**king happy song – I’m dead.’

The rock star died on July 22 with his family confirming the news in a statement.

‘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,’ they shared.

‘He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.’

He is survived by his wife Sharon and his six children.