Guitarist Jake E. Lee, a former member of Ozzy Osbourne's band, has given new updates about his condition after he was shot multiple times in Las Vegas earlier this week.
It was early Tuesday morning (Oct. 15) when Lee, 67, was struck by gunfire three times while he was out walking his dog near his home about 10 miles from the Vegas strip. Police subsequently said that they did believe Lee was targeted, instead presuming the incident, which is currently under investigation, was a random attack. No arrests have yet been reported.
At the time, it was said Lee had been hospitalized and was reported to be fully conscious while being treated in the intensive care unit, suggesting a recovery was in the cards.
Now, some hopeful updates from Lee have been made public — one, his first statement made since the shooting, and other one from one of his friends in the music industry.
On Wednesday (Oct. 16), ex-Guns N' Roses and Sixx:A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba, a Las Vegas resident like Lee, shared a text exchange between him and Lee as an Instagram Story, per Billboard.
After Ashba asked if if he was doing OK, Lee responded, "Doing surprisingly well. I am one lucky mother f--ker. Just make sure your bday bash is wheelchair accessible! Just jestin'.
Ashba responded back, "So fn thankful you're ok! Naha! U got it bro!"
The second update came from Lee himself, his first since the shooting. It was posted on his Facebook page for his band, Red Dragon Cartel, on Thursday.
Checking. Is this on? Been awhile since I posted here. Let’s see: I deeply appreciate all the concern and well wishes. Makes everything going on a little better. To clarify, I was shot three times. I...
"I deeply appreciate all the concern and well wishes," Lee says. "Makes everything going on a little better. To clarify, I was shot three times. I was on my way back home from walking my dog Coco (I didn't name him so don't!) Don't want to go into details now, I'm tired, but I feel relatively very lucky."
He adds, "The police found 15 shell casings at the scene which means he emptied his clip on me. I could only dodge so many so one bullet went through my forearm, one through my foot, and one in the back which broke a rib and damaged a lung. Priority now is to keep draining my lung till it's done crying. Then we can pull that tube out and concentrate on the more minor injuries. And by the way, Coco's fine and appreciates your inquiries!"
Lee is a crucial figure in Osbourne's solo career, particularly during the mid-1980s. He joined Ozzy's band as the lead guitarist following the death of Randy Rhoads and the brief tenure of guitarist Brad Gillis.
Lee's style and technical skill helped Ozzy continue his success after the tragic loss of Rhoads, and he was instrumental in shaping the sound of Ozzy's next phase.
After the news first emerged that Lee had been shot on Tuesday, Osbourne released a statement, obtained by TMZ, explaining that he was in "shock" over the incident.
"It's been 37 years since I've seen Jake E. Lee, but that still doesn't take away from the shock of hearing what happened to him today," Osbourne said.
"It's just another senseless act of gun violence," the singer continued. "I send my thoughts to him and his beautiful daughter, Jade. I just hope he'll be OK."
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
