'I lived next door to Ozzy Osbourne 50 years ago - then moved into the house once his family left'

Mohabbat Ali had a pretty ordinary childhood in Birmingham.

His Pakistani father came to the UK full of hope and grit, striving to build a good life for his family.

Whilst they settled on Lodge Road, a hidden street in Aston, three-month-old Ali had no idea they were living next door to the soon to be Prince of Darkness.

That's right.

The humble family would hear the guitar twangs and piano vibrations of teenage tearaway Ozzy Osbourne at 14 Lodge Road, never suspecting this was one of Brum's greatest heavy metal exports sharpening his musical chops.

Speaking to Ali, age 50, who is now a successful family man, settled fittingly behind Alexander Stadium, he still can't believe that same young man next door blasted the stage at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

Ali also shares a special connection with the rock n' roll star, as his family eventually lived in the Osbourne house once they packed up and left.

He is now the current owner of 14 Lodge Road, once the home of the man clad in black.

"I lived next door to Ozzy Osbourne's house.

"My dad and his brothers bought houses and we ended up buying a house on Lodge Road, we didn't know next door was a musician's house.

"My father said there were a lot of instruments in the house and Ozzy must have been a teenager at the time.

He said: "My dad did say the house was very well done up at the time, it was one of those houses that was well maintained with lots of carpet and just a really nice house.

"It was only in the last 25 years that we found out he is a huge star.

"I now own that house and what we found at this time of year we get a lot of Ozzy Osbourne fans who take photos of the house and leave candles outside! They do all sorts of weird things, the tenants ask 'what's going on here?' and I reply 'don't worry you won't know'."

Ali's mother Mahfooz Begum 71, joined the conversation and shared her own candid memories of living next door to Ozzy saying:

"He would play piano and guitar in the front room, it was nice music. Ozzy's family was nice and his mum was nice, I never spoke to him much it was more 'hello' and 'goodbye'. I saw the mother and father more."

After becoming the new home owners she also recalled how the rocker carved his name into a wooden display cabinet which has sadly been thrown away. Ali lamented: "I wish we kept it!"

Osbourne was born in 1948 to hard working parents John and Lilian and three older sisters, Jean, Iris and Gillian, and two younger brothers, Paul and Tony.

Although his first childhood home is believed to be in Kingstanding, the gothic musician is forever connected to Aston.

After working in a slaughterhouse and car plant, young Osbourne eventually fell into crime but saw music as a getaway.

After hearing The Beatles for the first time Osbourne said in a documentary "I knew I was going to be a rock star the rest of my life."

100 million album sales later and the creation of one of heavy metal's greatest bands Black Sabbath, Osbourne became a bona fide Brummie legend and even tore the stage at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

He wasn't the only local performer bringing some nostalgia to the games, more homegrown talent included Panjabi MC, Apache Indian, UB40 and Musical Youth.

So what does passionate Brummie Ali, want the Commonwealth Games to do for Birmingham?

He said: "Birmingham has come onto the world network now, if you look at the Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies there is so much history in Birmingham.

"Some of performers at the closing ceremony were all from the West Midlands, I was telling my kids 'Look! This one's from Newtown, this one's from Handsworth!'

This was in our time, so when Ozzy Osbourne came out I said, guess where he lived, in your grandad's house.

"I believe that diversity and culture is already here in Birmingham but I hope families will realise there is a lot in sport. I am always promoting sport and my kids have built sport into their lives from a young age.

"I want people to realise anyone can be successful and you can achieve your goals."