Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist, Jake E. Lee, 67, was shot in Las Vegas while he was walking his dog on Tuesday, October 15. According to reports, Lee suffered multiple shot wounds. However, he is currently recovering in an intensive care unit at a local hospital. Doctors are confident that Lee will fully recover.
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Lee's representatives issued a statement that shed some light on the nature of the shooting. "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, Nevada street shooting," reads the statement. "Lee is fully conscious and doing well in an intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital. He is expected to fully recover"
Police are investigating the shooting, but it appears that there was no premeditation surrounding the shooting. "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," continues the statement. "As the incident is under police investigation, no further comments will be forthcoming. Lee and his family appreciate respecting their privacy at this time."
Lee's Musical Journey
Lee was one of the guitarists who replaced Randy Rhoads as Ozzy Osbourne's studio and live lead guitarist. Rhoads died in a plane crash in 1982. Jake E. Lee played guitar, provided backing vocals, and even wrote some of the songs - although he was uncredited - for two of Osbourne's studio albums: Bark at the Moon (1983), and The Ultimate Sin (1986).
"It's hard for me to differentiate between the two albums as far as what I like most," said Lee on an interview with eonmusic. "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."
After leaving Osbourne's band, he formed Badlands, a hard rock band with Ray Gillen in 1988 and collaborated with several artists through the 90s and 2000s. In 2013, Lee formed Red Dragon Cartel and released two albums in 2014 and 2018.
