Former Ozzy Osbourne Guitarist Jake E. Lee Shot Multiple Times in Las Vegas Shooting, Expected to Make Full Recovery

Guitarist Jake E. Lee, former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and Badlands, and member of Red Dragon Cartel, was shot multiple times on Tuesday, October 15 during a street shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lee, 67 is fully conscious, according to his publicist, and is being treated at a hospital intensive care unit in Las Vegas and is expected to make a full recovery.

The incident was a random shooting, according to Las Vegas authorities, who said Lee was shot while taking his dog out for a walk in the early morning hours. On Tuesday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a shooting in the 11000 block of Alora Street, about 10 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip, at 2:42 a.m., according to a report. When officers arrived, they “located a male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.”

The shooting is being investigated by police, according to the guitarist’s rep, and Lee and his family are asking for privacy at this time.

Lee joined Osbourne’s band in 1982, replacing Brad Gillis, who joined following the death of lead guitarist Randy Rhoads in March of that year. He played on the band’s 1983 album Bark at the Moon and co-wrote the title track with Osbourne and Bob Daisley. Lee also appeared on and co-wrote Osbourne’s follow-up The Ultimate Sin from 1986, which went to No. 8 on the Billboard 200, before parting ways with the band in 1987 and being replaced by Zakk Wylde.

“It’s hard for me to differentiate between the two albums as far as what I like most,” said Lee in 2018 about the two Osbourne albums he worked on. “I will say that, for me, ‘Killer Of Giants’ [on ‘The Ultimate Sing’] was one of the highlight achievements for me, as far as songwriting. Musically, I always loved that song, and the whole intro to it. … It’s almost orchestral. I can’t say which album I like better, but ‘Killer Of Giants’ is, musically, one of the best songs that I’ve written.”

After leaving Osbourne, the guitarist co-founded Badlands and appeared on the band’s two albums before they disbanded in 1993, following the death of vocalist Ray Gillen. Badlands released a third and final album in 1998, Dusk, a collection of demos originally recorded between 1992 and 1993.

In 2013, Lee formed Red Dragon Cartel and the band released its eponymous debut in 2013, followed by Patina in 2018. Along with his solo albums, A Fine Pink Mist (1996) and Retraced (2005), Lee has also collaborated with Enuff Z’Nuff, Wicked Alliance, and more.

This story is developing and will be updated.

Photo: Bill Tompkins/Getty Images