Still, his actions on the night of 20 January 1982, when the body of an unfortunate creature ended up separated from its head, were bat-split crazy, even by Ozzy's excessive standards. The shocking incident took place on January 20, 1982, during Osbourne’s solo tour promoting his second album, Diary of a Madman. While performing at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa, a 17-year-old fan named Mark Neal threw a live bat onto the stage. Thinking for a rubber toy, Osbourne picked it up and bit off its head. After the concert, he was rushed to a local hospital 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 Neal, who was 17 in 1982, told the Des Moines Register that he brought the bat to Osbourne's concert in a baggie, then threw it on the stage. Either way, the bat's head came off in Osbourne's mouth. Biting a Bat and 5 Other Wild Moments From Ozzy Osbourne’s Life Alcohol and drugs were often involved in funny, bizarre and terrible incidents in the heavy metal legend’s long career. 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. Osbourne bit the head off a bat during his Diary of a Madman concert in Des Moines. 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 The night Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat during a live concert remains one of the most bizarre and talked-about moments in rock music history. See what the story behind Ozzy Osbourne biting a bat's head off is. Did he really bite the head off an animal another time? Here's everything you need to know about the infmaous night that Ozzy Osbourne bit a bat's head off with his teeth mid-concert. 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 Did rock frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who has died at the age of 76, really bite the head off a live bat? It’s the most rock and roll story you could ever imagine. In January 1982, Ozzy Osbourne, the pioneer of heavy metal music, shocked, disgusted and terrified the world when he bit a bat’s head off during a concert. Now, as the world mourns his demise, we take a look back at this bizarre incident and how it unfolded Ozzy Osbourne put a lot of things in his mouth — was a live bat really one of them? Ozzy Osbourne, also known as the Prince of Darkness, has long cultivated a reputation for doing insane, disgusting, attention-grabbing things. One of the oldest stories about Ozzy Osbourne's borderline behavior involves him biting the head off a bat. Here's the truth about Ozzy's bat-biting. Ozzy Osbourne sadly passed away on Tuesday, and one of the singer's most infamous moments was when he bit the head off a live bat. But what really happened? 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. One of the most infamous tales in rock history took place when Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat in concert on Jan. 20, 1982. 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.
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