BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Ozzy Osbourne’s fans had sensed the end was near.

At his final show just a few weeks ago, admirers watched the heavy metal icon perform while seated on a black throne and knew it would likely be the last time they saw the lead singer of Black Sabbath. He died Tuesday at age 76.

So there was little surprise Wednesday as they made pilgrimages to sites around Birmingham, the city in central England where Osbourne grew up and the band was formed.

Outside the Crown Pub, where Black Sabbath played its first gig, Daria DeBuono, 59, and Stephen Voland, 32, both from New York, described the bond the rockstar had with his fans during that farewell show at the city’s Villa Park stadium. Even though he stayed seated throughout, the man nicknamed the Prince of Darkness reveled in the embrace of the crowd, they said.

“It’s like that is what he was living for, that is what he was keeping himself alive for, was to have that final glorious moment of love,” DeBuono said. “And being in the crowd you can just feel the love in the arena that day. It was just very emotional.”

Voland completed her thought.

“When I was watching the show I told her, ‘This is like a living memorial that he gets to enjoy,’” he said. “All this hard work and everyone is here for him. I just felt like it was a cool thing not knowing that this was happening very soon after.”

The original members of Black Sabbath reunited for the first time in 20 years on July 5 for what Osbourne said would be his final concert. Osbourne had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019.

“Let the madness begin!” he told the 42,000 fans packed into Villa Park as the show got underway.

On Wednesday, Birmingham sites linked to Black Sabbath became magnets for fans of the band’s front man, who built a second career as a star of the reality TV show “The Osbournes.”

They gathered around the bull in Birmingham New Street station, which was created for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and is known as Ozzy. And they trooped to a mural on Navigation Street that was painted in honor of Black Sabbath’s farewell concert.

“He’s one of us,” West Midlands region Mayor Richard Parker said at the mural. “There is an enormous amount of pride — he was forged by this place and he put this place on the map, and everyone could relate to him.”

But the biggest draw was the Black Sabbath bench, where fans can take selfies alongside life-size images of the four band members.

The bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019, has been surrounded by tributes to Osbourne.

“I think it is so beautiful that he got to finish and do his wish before he finally passed,” said Matthew Caldwell, 36, of Stourbridge, just west of Birmingham. “Very sad but incredible.”

The idea of a cross-country road trip in an electric vehicle might seem daunting. After all, it’s not hard to envision getting stranded on the side of the road with a depleted battery or being stuck in a parking lot, charging for hours. But there are ways to easily avoid these worst-case scenarios. The experts at Edmunds have plenty of experience driving electric vehicles, and here they share their five best tips on how to make cross-country driving in an EV easy.

Use EV route planning applications

Minimizing the number of charging stations you visit and your time at them is key to efficient road-tripping in an EV. To accomplish this, use a route planning application. A route planner helps you determine where and when you should stop to charge to reach your destination.

The navigation system in most new EVs typically has this functionality built in. You simply enter your destination, and the navigation system automatically calculates where you will need to charge along your route. In our experience, Tesla vehicles have the best route planning capability. EVs that utilize Google Maps as their onboard navigation system have a similar capability. Many of the latest EVs from General Motors, such as the Chevrolet Equinox EV, have Google Maps integration.

Alternatively, you can use an EV route planning smartphone app such as A Better Route Planner (ABRP) or PlugShare. We prefer ABRP because it’s available as an app or through an internet browser. It also shows more details at each stop, like the expected battery percentage. When using a route planner, stick to Level 3 fast charging stations when driving. Slower Level 2 stations will take hours but are ideal for overnight charging.

Use Tesla charging stations

The Tesla Supercharger network of fast charging stations is the largest in the country. We recommend using them on a cross-country trip because they are usually very reliable and have more charging stalls per location than most networks. Teslas have access to them and certain non-Tesla EVs are also eligible to use them, but most non-Tesla EVs need an adapter to charge at a Tesla Supercharger. Check with your local service center or search online to determine if your EV is compatible. If you have a non-Tesla EV that has access, change the settings in your route planner to include Tesla stations.

If your EV cannot charge at Tesla stations, you’ll need to utilize other third-party charging station networks. Some of the largest networks include Electrify America, EVgo and ChargePoint.

Have a backup plan, and leave a range cushion

When planning a route that does not use Tesla Superchargers, it’s best to have a backup charging station for each stop. Charging stations can sometimes be out of order, and in some cases, like during a holiday or on busy highways, there could be long lines. To find the status of a specific charging station, download the app of the company the station belongs to. Make sure to leave yourself enough range to make it to your backup station as well.

Stay in hotels with on-site charging stations

Staying at hotels with on-site charging stations can save time and money. Hotel charging stations are typically Level 2 stations that can fully charge your battery overnight, allowing you to start your trip immediately instead of charging before you hit the highway. They are usually more affordable than fast charging stations, and in some cases, are free. One way to find hotels with charging stations is by using the PlugShare app. This app contains a database of charging stations, and you can filter it to show stations connected with lodging locations.

Use charging stations that have amenities

It’s fair to expect that each charging stop you make in your EV will take 20-45 minutes. To make the most of that time, charge at stations with a convenience store, retail store or restaurant nearby. That way, you can use the bathroom, grab some stacks or even get a full meal while your vehicle is charging. Many charging stations are located near stores or restaurants, but not all. You can use Google Maps or similar smartphone apps to find out what’s within walking distance of the charging stations you plan on using. You can change the stations your route planner recommends as long as they aren’t too far away.

Edmunds says

Planning a cross-country trip in an EV takes extra effort, but doing it properly can make the journey nearly as smooth as in a gas-powered car. Give yourself access to as many fast charging stations as possible by choosing an EV that’s capable of using Tesla Supercharger stations.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Michael Cantu is a contributor at Edmunds.

WASHINGTON (AP) — There are plenty of reasons why this particular victory by Venus Williams in this particular tennis match — just one of hundreds — resonated with so many folks.

That she’s 45, for one thing. Only one woman, Martina Navratilova, ever has won a tour-level singles match while older; her last victory came at 47 in 2004.

That Williams hadn’t entered a tournament anywhere in 16 months.

That she needed surgery for uterine fibroids.

And when asked Tuesday night after beating her 23-year-old opponent, Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4 at the DC Open what message others might take away from that performance and that result, Williams was quick to provide an answer.

“There are no limits for excellence. It’s all about what’s in your head and how much you’re able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. Doesn’t matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is. If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space, for you.”

Williams has been winning at tennis for decades. Her pro debut came when she was 14. Her first Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2000, less than a month after her 20th birthday.

She accumulated four major singles trophies before Stearns was born and eventually wound up with seven, five at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open, plus another 14 in women’s doubles — all with her sister Serena — and two in mixed doubles.

“I have so much respect for her to come back here and play, win or lose. That takes a lot of guts to step back onto court, especially with what she’s done for the sport,” said Stearns, who is ranked 35th and won NCAA singles and team titles at the University of Texas. “You have a lot behind you. You have accomplished a lot. And there is a lot of pressure on her and to kind of upkeep that at this age. So massive credit to her for that.”

There were challenges along the way for Williams, none more public than the diagnosis in 2011 of Sjögren’s syndrome, an energy-sapping auto-immune disease that can cause joint pain.

More recent was the pain from fibroids — noncancerous growths — and shortly before the DC Open, Williams said: “Where I am at this year is so much different (from) where I was at last year. It’s night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery.”

As thrilled as the spectators — “Who I love, and they love me,” Williams said — were to be able to watch, and pull, for her under the lights Tuesday, other players were rather excited about it, too.

“I commend her so much for being out here,” said Taylor Townsend.

Naomi Osaka’s take: “She’s, like, the queen. There’s a royal air around her.”

“She’s one of the best athletes of all time,” Frances Tiafoe said. “Her and her sister, they’re not only great for the women’s game, not only great for women’s sports, but they are so iconic.”

Yet, there were some on social media who wondered whether it made sense for the tournament to award a wild-card entry to Williams instead of an up-and-coming player.

DC Open chairman Mark Ein said it took him about two seconds to respond “Of course” when Williams’ representative reached out in April to ask whether a spot in the field might be a possibility.

A reporter wanted to know Tuesday whether Williams took any satisfaction from proving doubters wrong.

“No, because I’m not here for anyone else except for me. And I also have nothing to prove. Zip. Zero. I’m here for me, because I want to be here,” she said. “And proving anyone wrong or thinking about anyone has never gotten me a win and has never gotten me a loss.”

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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis