Featured Image Credit: YouTube/zackdfilms
Topics: Animals, Celebrity, Health, Music, Ozzy Osbourne
Emily Brown
Topics: Animals, Celebrity, Health, Music, Ozzy Osbourne
A lot of musicians have made reputations for themselves with their on-stage antics, but I don't think there are many quite as memorable as Ozzy Osbourne biting into a bat.
The historic moment took place in 1982, way before many of us were even born. But whether you're a fan of Ozzy or not, chances are you've still heard about it.
It all went down at a show in Des Moines, Iowa, when Ozzy was performing as lead singer for the heavy metal band Black Sabbath.
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During the show, a fan threw what Ozzy at the time thought was a fake rubber bat on to the stage.
Wanting to give his fans a good show, the singer picked up the object and sunk his teeth into it - but as soon as he did, he realized he'd made a huge mistake.
Per Far Out magazine, the rock star recalled: “Immediately [...] something felt wrong. Very wrong."
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A horrifying simulation created by YouTuber Zack D. Films helps shed light on exactly what Ozzy went through in the following moments, as it shows a simulated version of the star realizing his mouth has filled up with liquid as he discovered the bat was actually real.
Ozzy recalled: “For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the worst aftertaste you could ever imagine. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin.”
The simulation shows the blood running down Ozzy's chin before he was taken to the hospital to try and counter any potentially dangerous health impacts.
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At the time, the musician initially feared the bat had been alive when it was thrown on to the stage, and that he'd killed it by biting off its head.
Later, however, the person who'd thrown the bat confirmed it was already dead.
Viewers have been left horrified by the simulation retelling the incident, with one writing: "His face of terror when he realized..."
At the hospital, Ozzy received rabies jabs as a precaution, and while he largely seemed to walk away from the incident physically unscathed, the incident quickly became something he'd be associated with for decades to come.
In 1997, the singer told journalist Edward Helmore that the story had followed him 'every day since 1982'.
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“It’s not Ozzy Osbourne the man who’s travelled more miles than an astronaut and sold x billion records. It’s all they’re going to remember!" he said. "When I die it will be OZZY Osbourne THE BAT BITER IS DEAD; BATS CAN NOW LIVE IN PEACE."