Former Ozzy Osbourne Guitarist Jake E. Lee Shot In Las Vegas

Jake E. Lee, a former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne in the ‘80s, was shot multiple times in Las Vegas while walking his dog on Tuesday morning (15 October). His management confirmed that he’s in the intensive care unit but is expected to make a full recovery.

According to a statement by Lee’s publicist (as seen by Consequence Of Sound), Las Vegas authorities currently believe the shooting was “random” and is under investigation. The statement reads:

As confirmed by management, legendary rock guitarist Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne, Badlands, Red Dragon Cartel) was shot multiple times early this morning in a Las Vegas, NV street shooting. Lee is fully conscious and doing well in an intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital. He is expected to fully recover.

Las Vegas authorities believe the shooting was completely random and occurred while Lee took his dog out for a walk in the early morning hours. As the incident is under police investigation, no further comments will be forthcoming. Lee and his family appreciate respecting their privacy at this time.

The Music wishes Jake E. Lee a speedy recovery from the shooting.

Jake E. Lee played in Ozzy Osbourne’s band from 1982 to 1987, appearing on the renowned albums Bark At The Moon (1983) and 1986’s The Ultimate Sin. After his time in Ozzy Osbourne’s band, Lee went on to perform in the bands Badlands and Wicked Alliance.

In 2013, Lee formed a new band, the Red Dragon Cartel. He’s also released three solo albums under his own name.

Earlier this year, Lee’s former Badlands bandmate Greg Chaisson claimed that Lee was suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome and was awaiting surgery, which was why he hadn’t performed live since 2019. However, Lee confirmed that it’s not carpal tunnel he’s struggling with.

“I thought I had carpal tunnel. I went to a neurologist, and they poked the needles in me and then zapped me,” he said in the Tone Talk podcast last week (which you can watch below). “They said I had carpal tunnel. So, I made an appointment with a wrist surgeon, which took a while.

“[The wrist surgeon] asked to see some X-rays, which nobody had ever done. She said, ‘Well, before we talk about surgery…’ She took X-rays, came back and said, ‘You don’t have carpal tunnel. You don’t have it. If anybody had taken an X-ray of your wrist, they would have seen you don’t have carpal tunnel.'”

Explaining that he doesn’t have cartilage in his right wrist, the guitarist continued, “[The wrist surgeon] said I have very little [cartilage] in [my left hand], but [my left one] doesn’t bother me. So, it’s all bone on bone, rubbing against each other, and that’s agitating it. So, right now, I’m getting cortisone shots in the wrist — lots of fun — and physical therapy to get the muscles stronger around it, do a lot of stretching. It’s about pain management now.”

The photo of Jake E. Lee is credited to Nick Soveiko, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons. The original image was placed alongside a picture of Ozzy Osbourne.