Ozzy Osbourne responds to ‘senseless’ shooting of former guitarist Jake E Lee

9 hours ago

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Jake E. Lee - Figure 1 — Photo The Independent

Ozzy Osbourne released a statement regarding the recent shooting of his former guitarist, Jake E Lee, describing it as “yet another meaningless incident of gun violence.”

On October 15, 67-year-old Lee was shot several times in Las Vegas, Nevada, while taking his dog for a walk. Authorities suspect this was a random act of violence. Fortunately, he is anticipated to recover completely.

In a statement reported by The Independent, Osbourne expressed, "Although it's been 37 years since I last saw Jake E. Lee, I was still taken aback by the news of what happened to him today."

"Once again, we’re faced with a tragic incident of gun violence that seems pointless. My heart goes out to him and his lovely daughter, Jade. I truly hope he’ll be alright."

Lee, recognized for his musical contributions with groups like Ratt, Badlands, and Red Dragon Cartel, is most famous for being Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist from 1982 to 1987.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital yesterday, Lee's team announced: "According to management, renowned rock guitarist Jake E Lee (known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne, Badlands, and Red Dragon Cartel) was shot multiple times in a street shooting early this morning in Las Vegas, NV."

Lee is alert and stable in an ICU at a hospital in Las Vegas. Doctors believe he will make a complete recovery.

Officials in Las Vegas think that the shooting was entirely accidental, happening while Lee was out walking his dog in the early hours of the morning.

"Since this matter is currently being investigated by the police, we won't be able to provide any additional comments. Lee and his family kindly ask for privacy during this difficult time."

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Lee was born on February 15, 1957, in Norfolk, Virginia. He spent his childhood in San Diego, California, where he started his first band, Teaser.

In 1980, he became a member of a local heavy metal group called Mickey Ratt. Soon after, they changed their name to Ratt and moved to the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, where they found success as a glam metal band.

Lee moved on from Ratt to join various other groups in the music scene, such as Sexist and Rough Cutt. He eventually teamed up with Ronnie James Dio, the former lead singer of Black Sabbath, before being invited to play with Ozzy Osbourne in 1982. He helped write several tracks for Osbourne’s albums, including Bark at the Moon in 1983 and The Ultimate Sin in 1986. Lee traveled around the globe extensively as Osbourne’s band grew to be one of the most famous and respected names in metal history.

In 1987, Lee was unexpectedly dismissed from Osbourne's band. Although the lead singer later insisted that he had no personal problems with Lee, he claimed that the guitarist had lost the support of drummer Randy Castillo and bassist Phil Soussan.

Following his exit from Osbourne's band, Lee established Badlands alongside vocalist Ray Gillen in 1988. After Gillen passed away in 1993, Lee created a new band known as Wicked Alliance.

After several years of low activity, Lee established a new group called Red Dragon Cartel in 2013. They launched their self-named first album in 2014 and followed it up with a second album titled Patina in 2018.