NEED TO KNOW
Two Black Sabbath superfans got engaged in the most fitting of places.
While visiting London from The Netherlands, Anton Greve and Sam Bok took a day trip to Birmingham, England, widely considered the birthplace of heavy metal music and the city where Black Sabbath was formed in 1968. The couple’s itinerary included a must-see sight: the Broad Street canal bridge dedicated to the band.
Greve surprised Bok by popping the question by the bridge, on which sits a bench featuring the images of Black Sabbath’s original members: frontman Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.
The couple shared their engagement news via a joint post on Instagram, including photos of the moment.
Bok wrote in the caption: “WE GOT ENGAGED ON THE BLACK SABBATH BRIDGE! I still can’t describe what happened to me yesterday. What I thought would be a day trip to Birmingham, following in Ozzy’s footsteps, turned out to be the best day of my life.”
“The love of my life proposed to me, on the Black Sabbath Bridge, in front of Ozzy and the band and got us the rings I’ve been dreaming of for years: Lemmy’s eye,” she continued, adding, “I couldn’t have wished for anything better, it’s us forever <3.”
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The photos show Greve down on one knee as he held out a ring box, the couple kissing and the future bride and groom showing off their matching rings.
In the images, the bridge can be seen covered with flower bouquets and other fan tributes to Ozzy, who died on July 22 at the age of 76.
Bok, 24, told the BBC that Greve’s surprise proposal was “the happiest day of my life so far.” She revealed that the couple’s engagement post went viral, and managed to catch the attention of Ozzy’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, and daughter Kelly Osbourne, who both liked the post.
“It was pretty awesome and felt like some kind of blessing from the Osbourne family,” Bok said.
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The bride-to-be told Birmingham Live that she and Greve, 23, also spent their engagement day visiting the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s Ozzy exhibition and the historic Crown pub, where Black Sabbath played their very first gig.
“I still can’t describe what happened. What I thought would be a day trip to Birmingham, following in Ozzy’s footsteps, turned out to be the best day of our lives,” she told the outlet. “The love of my life proposed to me, on the Black Sabbath Bridge, in front of Ozzy and the band. I couldn’t have wished for anything better. It’s us forever.”
Bok told the BBC that the couple — who have known each other for more than a decade and have been dating for two years — plan to get married around Halloween, either this year or next.
Chris Walter/WireImage
Reflecting on Ozzy’s legacy, Bok told Birmingham Live that she and Greve were “devastated” by the singer’s death. “Which I know is weird because he didn’t know who I am — but he means so much to me,” she added.
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The Black Sabbath bench was unveiled on the bridge in Birmingham in June 2019 by Iommi and Butler.
“The bridge name and commemorative bench are both terrific, and we’re thrilled that everyone can now enjoy what has become a special location for Black Sabbath history,” Iommi said, per a website dedicated to the music landmark.
