Ozzy Osbourne Addresses The Shooting Of His Former Guitarist

Ozzy Osbourne broke his silence on the shooting of his former guitarist Jake E. Lee, who got shot multiple times recently. The 67-year-old was out walking his dog in Las Vegas when he got assailed by the shooter, who is yet to be arrested.

Ozzy admitted it has been nearly four decades since he last saw Jake; however, the news was not any less shocking. He termed the incident as “another senseless act of gun violence,” which has been rampant in the United States in the last few years.

Ozzy Osbourne hopes Jake E. Lee recovers soon

Ozzy sent his heartfelt thoughts to Jake’s daughter, Jade, while the injured instrumentalist recovers in the ICU. Other public figures like SiriusXM’s Mark Strigl, David Maida, and Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis also sent their wishes to Jake via social media. “Love and prayers to my homie Jake E. Lee—get well soon brother. You got this!” Matt Gibson posted.

Fans also responded to the news on X while calling on Ozzy to save his old friend’s life. “Please step up and do whatever you can for Jake. It’s not too late and you can save his life. Just like he saved your career dude,” someone replied.

Ozzy Osbourne’s relationship with his guitarist

Jake replaced Randy Rhoads in 1982 after he died in an aircraft crash. He toured with Ozzy and worked with him on the 1983 album Bark at the Moon, The Ultimate Sin, and singles like “Shot In The Dark” and “Killer of Giants.”

Jake later got fired from the group after an altercation with Ozzy’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, over songwriting credits and internal feuds. Ozzy admitted that his drummer, Randy Castillo, also influenced his decision at the time, although he holds no grudge against the lead guitarist.