Ozzy Osbourne, the famous Black Sabbath rocker who died on July 22, at 76, will always be remembered by his infamous 1982 black-biting incident. More than 40 years ago, Ozzy bit the head off a real bat. On January 20, 1982, Ozzy, during his Diary of a Madman tour at the Des Moines Veterans Memorial Ozzy Osbourne's Prince of Darkness nickname was certainly not just because of his jet black looks on stage and all boiled down to once incident. The Black Sabbath icon pushed the limits during his The Incident: January 20, 1982 The events of January 20, 1982, have become legendary in rock folklore. During a performance at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa, a fan threw what appeared to be a rubber bat onto the stage. In a moment of impulsive showmanship, Ozzy Osbourne picked up the bat and bit its head off, only to discover that the bat was, in fact, real. More details about Ozzy Osbourne's bat-biting incident have been revealed decades after it happened. On Jan. 20, 1982, Osbourne shocked his fans when he bit a bat during his Diary of a Madman Tour On this day in 1982, more than 40 years after one of the most shocking moments in metal history, people still wonder, “Why did Ozzy Osbourne bite the head off a bat?” There’s a side to this story that many haven’t heard, shedding light on why a bat was thrown onstage during that infamous Ozzy Osbourne concert. Legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a live bat in 1982. He explained why the infamous incident was really an accident. Ozzy Osbourne revealed he mistook a real bat for a toy before biting its head off in 1982, a moment he later regretted as it overshadowed his music legacy. Did Ozzy Osbourne get rabies shots after 1982 Des Moines concert? Bat biting incident explored as English rock icon passes away at 76 Conspiracy theories go above and beyond especially when celebrities are involved. Yet, sometimes, those bizarre tales contain a grain of truth. Ozzy Osbourne, famously known as the Prince of Darkness, passed away on July 22, 2025, but his infamous bat-biting incident still echoes through pop culture We’re coming up on another anniversary of Ozzy Osbourne and The Bat Incident on January 20, and to commemorate the iconic and insane moment, let’s debunk a couple of myths about that 1982 In a 2022 PEOPLE interview, Ozzy Osbourne reflected on biting a head off a bat during his 1982 concert and how the moment would live on after his death. Osbourne's family announced his death at Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary Prince of Darkness and frontman of Black Sabbath, died yesterday at age 76, leaving behind a legacy of metal mayhem and rock ‘n’ roll rebellion. HELLO! has done some digging to find the true story Bat 'biting' incident The moment is dated back to January 1982 when he was touring for the release of his second solo album, Diary of a Madman. The bat-biting incident occurred at Osbourne’s show at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa on January 20, 1982 on his “Diary of a Madman” tour. Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne died July 22 at 76. The rock legend left Des Moines "with bat taste in mouth" after a show in 1982. That time Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat The heavy metal singer, who died July 22, was renowned for once biting the head off a real bat. Unlike another incident with a dove, this was an The truth about Ozzy Osbourne, Mark Neal, and the bat-biting incident was known from the beginning, but the mysterious lore of a live bat and an unknown fan ultimately triumphed in this game of The legendary late rocker Ozzy Osbourne was known for bizarre antics and wild acts, but his most infamous was biting off a dead bat's head in 1982. Ozzy Osbourne will forever be remembered at the Prince of Darkness of this generation — but even in death, his infamous 1982 bat-biting incident will go down in history. Nearly three years before his family announced his death at age 76 on July 22, the Black Sabbath rocker reflected on a 1982 incident at his gig in Des Moines, Iowa — where he bit the head off a
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