Ozzy Osbourne once said he didn’t want to be remembered as the man who bit off the head of a bat… but the acclaimed musician’s burial place had a cheeky nod to the infamous moment.

The Black Sabbath frontman passed away on July 22 at age 76, and was laid to rest this week on the grounds of his mansion in England.

But that means the singer was buried just a stones throw away from multiple bat boxes – man-made structures designed to provide shelter for bats.

He had them installed in his Buckinghamshire abode in 2022 – a possible attempt to make amends years after he was slammed by animal rights activists for ripping the head off a bat with his teeth live on stage (which he later defended by saying he thought it was fake).

A source close to the singer told the Daily Mail that the irony of him being laid to rest so close to the bat habitats did not go unnoticed amongst his loved ones.

‘The subject of the bat boxes in the grounds has prompted some real laughter and joy – something for sure Oz would approve of,’ they said.

Ozzy Osbourne once said he didn't want to be remembered as the man who bit off the head of a bat... but the acclaimed musician's burial place had a cheeky nod to the infamous moment
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Ozzy Osbourne once said he didn’t want to be remembered as the man who bit off the head of a bat… but the acclaimed musician’s burial place had a cheeky nod to the infamous moment

The Black Sabbath frontman passed away on July 22 at age 76, and was laid to rest this week on the grounds of his mansion in England (seen)
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The Black Sabbath frontman passed away on July 22 at age 76, and was laid to rest this week on the grounds of his mansion in England (seen)

‘You cannot even make it up. He has spent decades being caught up in this drama around bats and animal rights groups – and then he is there at his final resting place in a space used to help encourage bats thrive in the UK countryside.

‘It has prompted quite a few laughs and funny reactions. It is like Ozzy had the last laugh.’

Ozzy and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, bought the 250-acre estate, known as Welders House, in 1993, and according to the insider, it was a place they often ‘escaped’ to when they needed a break from fame during the height of his career.

‘[The mansion] had been where he and Sharon escaped from the showbiz world in the 1990s and 2000s to simply focus on family,’ they explained.

‘Once again it showed how despite all the amazing rock and roll success and celebrity he had, in his heart he was always a family man.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Osbourne family for comment.

Ozzy announced that he planned moved back to Welders House permanently in 2022 after years of spending most of his time living in Los Angeles.

But that means the singer (seen in 1985) was buried just a stones throw away from multiple bat boxes - man-made structures designed to provide shelter for bats
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But that means the singer (seen in 1985) was buried just a stones throw away from multiple bat boxes – man-made structures designed to provide shelter for bats

He had them installed in his Buckinghamshire abode in 2022 - a possible attempt to make amends years after he was slammed for ripping the head off a bat with his teeth live on stage
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He had them installed in his Buckinghamshire abode in 2022 – a possible attempt to make amends years after he was slammed for ripping the head off a bat with his teeth live on stage

At the time, he had the home revamped, adding the bat boxes, as well as a ‘rehabilitation wing’ following his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2020.

Planning documents for a health and welfare exercise suite, a swimming pool, and decking were submitted to the local council in March that year.

But his battle with Parkinson’s and a crippling fall that exacerbated his old quad bike injury are thought to have delayed his return to the UK.

Ozzy famously bit the head off a bat after a fan bizarrely hurled the animal on stage during a Black Sabbath show in January 1982.

It’s been debated whether or not the creature was alive at the time; Ozzy has claimed that it was and that he needed to be rushed to the hospital for a rabies shot, while audience member Mark Neal, who alleges he was the one to throw it, has insisted it was dead.

A source close to the singer told the Daily Mail that the irony of Ozzy, seen with his wife and daughter in 2020, being laid to rest so close to the bat habitats did not go unnoticed
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A source close to the singer told the Daily Mail that the irony of Ozzy, seen with his wife and daughter in 2020, being laid to rest so close to the bat habitats did not go unnoticed

'The subject of the bat boxes in the grounds has prompted some real laughter and joy - something for sure Oz would approve of,' they said. His mansion is seen
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‘The subject of the bat boxes in the grounds has prompted some real laughter and joy – something for sure Oz would approve of,’ they said. His mansion is seen

Either way, Ozzy’s mouth was seen filling with blood as the audience watched on in horror, and he never lived down the shocking incident.

He has been repeatedly asked about the moment over the years, and he has long insisted that he initially thought the bat was a rubber toy rather than a live animal before he bit it.

During a chat with the Los Angeles Daily News in 2020, Ozzy admitted he was worried the moment would become part of his legacy.

‘It’s not the way I want to be remembered [but] I know I’ll be the man that bit the head off the bat,’ he said.

‘That will be my epitaph. It won’t be, ‘Here lies Ozzy Osbourne… he did a bit of good…’ It’s going to be, ‘The bat-biting lunatic,’ which … I don’t care.’