Did Ozzy Osbourne really eat a bat on stage? Rock legend's wildest rumour explained after his death

Time of India

23-07-2025

Ozzy Osbourne, the larger-than-life icon who helped shape the very sound of heavy metal, has died at the age of 76. The news comes just weeks after his final performance in Birmingham, where he delivered a throne-bound farewell packed with hits from both Black Sabbath and his solo catalogue. Fans across the globe are grieving, not just for the man, but for the mythology he carried with him.
The infamous Ozzy Osbourne's bat incident: What really happened?
One tale has followed Ozzy for decades, whispered backstage and screen-printed on the back of leather jackets: did he actually bite the head off a bat on stage? As unbelievable as it sounds, the answer is yes, but with a few wild twists.
In 1982, during a concert in Des Moines, a fan hurled what Ozzy believed to be a rubber bat onto the stage. Without hesitation, he picked it up and bit its head off. Unfortunately for him, it was real. His then-girlfriend Sharon Osbourne is said to have shouted in horror when she realised the truth.
Ozzy Osbourne 'the prince of darkness' has passed. Des Moines will never forget the BAT 🦇 pic.twitter.com/wtPQqdokdT
Osbourne, stunned and panicked, immediately threw the bat back into the crowd. Later that night, he was rushed to hospital for a series of rabies shots. He later recalled that moment as one of chaos and confusion, and said the bat may have even bitten him in return.
Not the first animal incident of Ozzy Osbourne
This was not Ozzy's first encounter with creatures of the animal kingdom. A year earlier, in a bizarre promotional stunt gone wrong, he reportedly bit the heads off two doves in a meeting with record executives. What was meant to be a peaceful gesture quickly spiralled into rock history infamy.
The legacy of Ozzy Osbourne
Despite these dark and dramatic stories, Ozzy was not always the outrageous figure headlines portrayed. His more vulnerable moments, including cooking breakfast in a metal documentary or starring in The Osbournes, showed the man behind the myth. But even as fans grieve, many choose to remember him as rock's ultimate wildcard, who turned shock into spectacle and mayhem into music.