Did Ozzy Osbourne Bite REAL Bat During 1982 Tour? Shocking Turn of Events Finally Revealed

Ozzy Osbourne
Musician Ozzy Osbourne arrives at the British Comedy Awards 2005 at London Television Studios on December 14, 2005 in London, England. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

More details about Ozzy Osbourne's bat-biting incident have been revealed decades after it happened.

On Jan. 20, 1982, Osbourne shocked his fans when he bit a bat during his Diary of a Madman Tour at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, now Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center. At that time, a fan threw a bat on stage, and he thought it was a fake rubber bat.

However, he realized it was a real bat after chomping into it and swallowing it. The Black Sabbath rocker can still recall how it twitched inside his neck, and how he was rushed to the Broadlawns Medical Center after his concert.

Loudwire posted a detailed timeline of the event and what happened afterward.

What Happened During Ozzy Osbourne's Bat-Biting Incident?

In 1982, Osbourne opened up about the incident during his interview with David Letterman. Per the singer, he thought it was one of the toy bats so he immediately bit its head off. The incident led him to receive anti-rabies shots for three weeks.

"Every night for the rest of the tour, I had to find a doctor and get more rabies shots: One in each arse cheek, one in each thigh, one in each arm," he said. "Every one hurt like a bastard."

Meanwhile, the then-nurse supervisor Pam Culver recalled receiving calls from England, Canada, and the US as journalists and reporters tried to get details about the incident.

Six months after the incident, he told the USA Network show, "Night Flight", that the bat tasted salty.

To prevent it from reoccurring, the auditorium directors amended their rules and stated it "prohibits concert performers from using, presenting or in any way making live animals a part of a program at Vets without the consent of management."

In 2007, Osbourne performed at the event again. But at that time, he reminded everyone of the incident and added the words "No more bats. Love, Ozzy Osbourne" on one of its posters.

The outlet Des Moines Register soon revealed the identity of the concertgoer who threw the bat to Osbourne. The man, named Mark Neal, was only 17 years old when the incident happened.

According to the report, he planned to do it and even told his friends about it before Osbourne's concert.

One of his friends, Carmen Martin-Kelly, said they told everyone they would bring the bat. Mark Neal, on the other hand, noted that the bat landed right in front of Osbourne himself. The singer saw it, and the things that happened afterward became history.

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