Jake E. Lee, the guitarist who played alongside Ozzy Osbourne from 1982 to 1987, has revealed why he chose to avoid a public feud with the Prince of Darkness despite a turbulent split nearly 40 years ago.
Lee’s tenure in Osbourne’s band ended abruptly when he was fired via telephone by Ozzy’s wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne. Since then, the pair had not crossed paths—until last month, when Lee performed at Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s farewell show, Back to the Beginning.
In a candid interview with Guitar World, following Ozzy’s death on July 22, Lee reflected on the infamous firing and his hope that their relationship could have been reconciled.
“I did always want to reconnect with him on whatever level. Not necessarily musically, but that would have been nice. I didn’t want it to end with getting fired and feeling like there was bad blood,” he admitted.
Despite the abrupt exit, Lee insists he never took it personally. “He said some things about me, but I never said anything bad about him. I stated the facts—I got kind of screwed over on the Bark at the Moon record. But I knew it was a business move, and that it wasn’t based around f*cking me over,” he said.
When discussing the reasons behind his firing, Lee suggested it was all about money. “Getting as much money as he could! And when he fired me, the feeling I got from people in the industry was shock,” he explained. “He talked some sh*t about me; but I always assumed he did it because he needed to have a good reason for getting rid of me.”
Lee also revealed why he avoided publicly clashing with Ozzy in the press. “I never really fired back because I knew I’d never win. Getting into a fight with Ozzy Osbourne through the press, he’s gonna win. And I still liked him, and I still liked Sharon.”
Even decades later, Lee says he harbours no grudges. “Money has never been important to me. People don’t believe that; they say, ‘Yeah, right!’ But it really doesn’t… Money corrupts so many people. I never let it corrupt me. If I wanna do something I’ll do it, and I’ll see if I can get paid for it.”
From his time in one of rock’s most legendary bands to his reflections on business, loyalty, and respect, Jake E. Lee’s account shows a musician who, despite setbacks, chose dignity over drama—proving that even in the world of heavy metal, restraint can speak louder than conflict.