Jake E. Lee, Ozzy Osbourne’s second full-time guitarist, hadn’t spoken to his former boss in nearly 40 years when he was shot multiple times last year. But news of the incident sent shockwaves through the vocalist, who promptly sent his well wishes to a guitarist with whom he wrote mammoth hits like “Bark at the Home” and “Shot in the Dark”.
Poetically, it would kickstart a full circle moment for Lee that saw the guitarist share a stage with Ozzy for one last time at Back to the Beginning, and he had to battle arthritis and injuries caused by his shooting to get there.
Tom Morello, the event’s creative director, had said that the show hinged on Lee’s involvement, but Lee's road to recovery saw his world grow “dark and dangerous.”
“I hadn't been playing guitar for a couple of years because this wrist was killing me [due to] arthritis,” he tells SiriusXM's "Ozzy's Boneyard" (via Blabbermouth). “I finally got X-rays, and they said there's no cartilage left. It's bone on bone whenever I move it.
“It didn't feel good, so I started doing rehab for it,” he continues. “It started to take a lot of exercising, a lot of stretching, and it was getting better.”
The impact the shooting had on his mental health, though, was tough.
“I don't wanna think about it,” he says. “I dwelled on it a little bit after I got shot, and then I realized it wasn't healthy. So I just kind of pushed it aside and didn't think about it too much.
“The world got darker, more dangerous, not as fun after that night. And since then, I don't think about it too much. And the world's getting back to where I can enjoy it.”
Morello’s invitation to Back to the Beginning’s frivolities was timely. It gave him a glimpse of light at the end of a long, shadowy tunnel. But even still, there were caveats.
Having seen his name on the poster, the world expected him to perform his staple Ozzy hit, “Bark at the Moon”, but the ferocity of the song, and Lee’s diminished condition, represented a lofty challenge. A carefully considered plan B was put in place, and it was ultimately that plan that was executed at Villa Park.
Playing in front of 45,000 people at a show streamed to millions more worldwide – which also raised a record-breaking $190 million for charity – must have been a sensation to savour.
Amid the inevitable fast-paced chaos backstage, Lee didn’t get too much time with Ozzy on the day, but he was in his thoughts.
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“Still processing it,” Lee posted on Facebook in the wake of the singer’s passing. “The finality of it hits me in waves. This was a text I got from him as I was sitting in an airport headed back home two weeks ago:
“‘Hi, Jake, I’m so sorry I couldn’t spend more time with you on the weekend, it was really chaotic. I would really like to see you when I eventually get back to L.A., just to shoot the shit. It’s been so long since we saw each other.
“‘How did the gig go for you on Saturday? I really hope you had fun. I will text you when I eventually get back to L.A. We must hook up. Much love and respect, Ozzy’.”
It adds a heartbreaking lacquer to an already sorrowful scene, but it shows the type of personality Ozzy was. The fact that Lee defied the odds to grace the stage at Villa Park, and give Ozzy a well-deserved — and all too brief — retirement is something to be celebrated during a time of mourning.
