Rock guitarist Jake E. Lee, who notably performed with Ozzy Osbourne throughout the ‘80s, is recovering in the ICU after he was shot multiple times early Tuesday morning. The 67-year-old musician, who also founded bands Badlands and Red Dragon Cartel, was shot in what is believed to have been a “completely random” shooting while he “took his dog out for a walk in the early morning hours,” his representative and the Las Vegas Police Department confirmed.
“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, NV street shooting,” the statement from his publicist read, per Consequence Sound. “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.”
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The Las Vegas Metro Police Department confirmed in a statement, per CNN, that officers responded to a shooting incident in the 11000 block of Alora Street” around 2:42 a.m. Tuesday. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered “a male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.” The extent of Lee’s injuries are unclear. Lee was transported to an area hospital and remains in the ICU. His publicist said he is “fully conscious and doing well in an intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital. He is expected to fully recover.”
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing. No arrests have been made at this time. Lee and his family have asked for privacy at this time.
The veteran rock guitarist is best known for his career alongside Osbourne. Lee took over as Osbourne’s lead guitarist in 1982 after Randy Rhoads’ passing. He performed alongside the singer through 1987, appearing on the albums Bark at the Moon (1983) and The Ultimate Sin (1986). Lee and Black Sabbath members Ray Gillen and Eric Singer went on to form Badlands in 1988, with Lee in 2013 founding the Red Dragon Cartel.
In a statement to TMZ after news of the shooting broke, Osbourne sent well-wishes to his former bandmate, sharing, “t’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. It’s just another senseless act of gun violence. I send my thoughts to him and his beautiful daughter, Jade. I just hope he’ll be ok.”
