Ozzy Osbourne's wildest moments - drugs, affairs and truth behind sick bat stunt

Founding father of heavy metal, Ozzy Osbourne was as famed for his wild antics on stage to his hedonist behaviour off it. The Black Sabbath singer became renowned for his controversial live shows and his chaotic personal life.

Drug and alcohol use often fuelled manic behaviour in front of his adoring audiences, and also his most crazed moments in between shows.

Following the tragic death of the Black Sabbath legend, here are some of the most memorable and infamous moments from the hell-raising life of the late heavy metal pioneer.

The Alamo

In 1982, Osbourne was wearing one of his wife’s dresses for a photoshoot close to The Alamo in Texas, the site of a heroic sacrifice by the Texan troops against the invading Mexicans.

The rock star drunkenly relieved himself on a cenotaph commemorating the dead, later donating thousands to the group which maintains The Alamo.

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Cats

In the midst of an alcohol and drug haze, Osbourne said that he set about slaughtering 17 cats with a shotgun.

The rocker said he was found by his wife under a piano, armed with a knife in one hand and a shotgun in the other.

Ants

Osbourne toured with Motley Crue in the 1980s, and it was during this time that he is rumoured to have shocked his fellow rockers after “spotting” a line of ants.

Bassist Nikki Sixx claimed that Osbourne took a straw and, as if snorting cocaine, hoovered the line of ants up his nose.

Bats

In 1982, Osbourne was on stage at a gig in Des Moines, Iowa, during a US tour.

A fan threw a bat on stage, and in the frenzy of performance Osbourne – believing it to be rubber – bit its head off. There remains debate as to whether the bat was alive or dead when it was thrown on stage.

Doves

Osbourne had history with the decapitation of winged creatures, beginning with an incident which stunned CBS Records executives.

Celebrating a new album in 1981, the Black Country-born rock star was intending to release two doves in a symbolic act at the record label. Instead, he grabbed a dove and bit its head off, before being thrown out of the building.

Sex addiction and affairs

In 2017, during an interview with music magazine Rolling Stone, he joked that the secret to his marriage was “don’t get caught with your mistress”.

He is quoted as telling Rolling Stone: “When I was a crazy f*****, I’m lucky she didn’t walk out. Now I’m coming on five years clean and sober, and I’ve realised what a f****** idiot I was. I mean, I’m still nuts, but in control of it a bit more.”

Osbourne added: “When I said, ‘Don’t get caught by your missus,’ I’m not proud of all that s***. I upset my wife and I upset my family and I made a lot of shock and shame. I love my wife, and it made me realise what a f****** idiot I’ve been.”

In 2016, he revealed he was undergoing “intense therapy” for a “sex addiction” that nearly resulted in the disintegration of his marriage but he later told The Times he was not a sex addict, saying: “I’m in a f****** rock band, aren’t I?”

In 2017, he and Sharon renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas.

Speaking of Sharon's unwavering loyalty, Ozzy said: "Even now, I have a lot of trouble understanding why Sharon stayed – or why she married me in the first place. I mean, she was actually afraid of me half the time. And the truth was I was afraid of me, too. Afraid of what I’d do to myself or, even worse, to someone else."