Did Ozzy Osbourne get rabies shots after 1982 Des Moines concert? Bat biting incident explored as English rock icon passes away at 76

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has passed away at the age of 76. The English rock star's family announced his death in a statement shared on Instagram, writing:

"It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love."

While an exact cause of death has not been made public, in February 2019, Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ozzy Osbourne (@ozzyosbourne)

Known to fans as the Prince of Darkness, Osbourne set a precedent for the heavy metal genre in the years to come. With Black Sabbath, he began performing in the early 1970s, delivering hits like Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, and Children of the Grave.

The tracks encompassed themes from anti-war critiques to depression and even existentialism.

As a performer, the Birmingham-born musician was known for his theatrics. Perhaps the most memorable one being during his 1982 concert in Des Moines, Iowa, where he bit off the head of a bat.

The infamous incident ended in him getting multiple rabies shots.

"I always liked old movies that used to have these custard-pie fights"—Ozzy Osbourne about why he started throwing raw meat at the concertgoers

Towards the end of 1981, Ozzy Osbourne embarked on his second concert tour, Diary of a Madman, in support of his album of the same name.

During a January 20, 1982, stop at Veterans Memorial Auditorium (now the Iowa Events Center) in Des Moines, the musician bit the head off of a live bat before throwing it back to the audience.

According to the Rolling Stones, Osbourne had been touring for over a year before the infamous show in Des Moines. While on the road, the musician developed a tradition of throwing raw meat at the concertgoers, who would chuck back whatever they could sneak into the venue in return.

Addressing the tradition in his The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne (2020), he explained:

"I always liked old movies that used to have these custard-pie fights. It gave me this idea to throw, instead of pie, bits of meat and animal parts into the audience. I thought it was hilarious. (They’d throw back) sheep testicles, live snakes, dead rats, all kinds of things."

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by David Letterman (@letterman)

That night, someone threw a live bat, which Osbourne thought was a fake, rubber one, adding:

"I picked it up, put it in my mouth, crunched down, bit into it, being the clown that I am."

As he bit into the animal and blood filled his mouth, Ozzy Osbourne realized his mistake.

After the show, the musician had to be taken to a local hospital where he received a tetanus shot and a rabies shot, per the Des Moines Register.

It was later revealed that Mark Neal (at the time 17), a fan of Osbourne's, reportedly threw the bat, the outlet reported. Neal found the bat outside of an elementary school and kept it in the freezer until the show.

While Neal claimed the bat was dead, Ozzy Osbourne claimed he felt it "twitch" in his mouth.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ozzy Osbourne (@ozzyosbourne)

Around that time, heavy metal as a genre was not seen in a good light. There were even allegations of Satanism against Osbourne.

The incident propelled him into mainstream fame, albeit a notorious one. Taking to People magazine in 2022, the musician noted:

"I know when I eventually do leave this place, it's going to be, 'Ah, the man who bit the head off the bat — he joined the bat today.'"

He continued to quip:

"I mean, I've achieved quite a lot in my life, but all people do is go, 'Ozzy, what do bats really taste like? Was it dead?' But I'll tell you what, when they gave me the rabies shot, I wasn't smiling."

Over the years, many have debated whether the incident was a publicity stunt. But the rock icon has maintained he thought the bat was fake. Notably, he has frequently jokingly complained about the rabies vaccinations.

Talking to the Des Moines Register in 2001, Ozzy Osbourne explained he had to take multiple shots "every night for the rest of the tour."

In the years since, the musician sold bat plushie toys with a detachable head, bat-shaped makeup kits, and even started an NFT project called CryptoBatz, according to Loudwire.

Ozzy Osbourne is survived by his wife, Sharon, and their three kids, Aimee, Kelly, and Jack. He also leaves behind kids Jessica and Louis with ex-wife Thelma Riley alongside her son Elliot.