What happened to Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist Jake E. Lee in Las Vegas?

Jake E. Lee is a well-known name in the rock music scene, famous for his incredible guitar skills. Although he hasn’t been in the headlines as much lately, that’s recently changed, but unfortunately, not for good reasons.

On October 15, Lee was shot multiple times in Las Vegas and rushed to the hospital. Since the incident, details have been coming to light, and fans are anxiously waiting for updates on his condition.

Jake E. Lee gained fame as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne’s band from 1982 to 1987 after the tragic passing of the previous guitarist, Randy Rhoads. He played on classic albums like Bark at the Moon and The Ultimate Sin, released in 1983 and 1986, respectively. Although there were stories about him being fired via telegram, Lee later clarified in an interview that he learned about his departure from a friend who also worked as his guitar technician. After leaving Osbourne’s band, he formed a group called Badlands with former members of Black Sabbath, Ray Gillen and Eric Singer. Badlands released three albums between 1989 and 1998 but disbanded in 1993. In 2013, Lee started another band called Red Dragon Cartel.

What Happened in Las Vegas?

In a shocking turn of events, Jake E. Lee was shot multiple times early in the morning on October 15 while he was out walking his dog. Reports say that around 2:41 a.m., police found him injured and immediately took him to the hospital. The Las Vegas police are currently investigating the shooting, and they believe it was a “completely random” act, meaning Lee wasn’t targeted.

The police received a report of the shooting on Alora Street and arrived to find Lee incapacitated from his injuries. As of now, no arrests have been made related to the incident.

The good news is that Lee is reportedly recovering well. His publicist told Billboard that he is conscious and doing okay in an intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital, and he is expected to make a full recovery. Since the incident, many celebrities, including Ozzy Osbourne, have expressed their support for Lee. Osbourne shared his shock about the shooting, stating, “It’s just another senseless act of gun violence. I send my thoughts to him and his beautiful daughter, Jade. I just hope he’ll be back.”

Lee himself also addressed his fans on the Red Dragon Cartel Facebook page, providing some clarity about what happened. He mentioned, “To clarify, I was shot three times, I was on my way back home from walking my dog Coco. I don’t want to go into details now; I’m tired, but I feel relatively very lucky.”

His fans quickly flooded his post with messages of support, expressing relief that he survived. One fan summed it up perfectly: “What a senseless crime! I am so sorry that this happened to you… So glad that you are still here with us.”