The Shocking Story of How Ozzy Osbourne Cheated Death in 2003

Ozzy Osbourne is lucky to be alive. Between ingesting copious amounts of drugs and alcohol, biting off the heads of bats, and generally living life on the edge, the man has had plenty of chances to kick the bucket. However, his superhuman immune system and psyche have allowed him to age just like the average Joe. However, there was one scary incident that nearly took Ozzy’s life, and it is not what you might expect.

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One would think that Ozzy’s life would have ended in his glory days. But, it wasn’t Ozzy’s substance abuse that nearly took his life. Rather, it was a near-fatal accident on an ATV in 2003.

How Ozzy Osbourne Escaped a Brush With Death on an ATV

Back in 2003 at his country estate in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, Ozzy Osbourne nearly died while riding on an ATV. The crash transpired just days before Christmas on December 8. At the time, Osbourne was 55 years old and had been attempting to cut back on his substance use. That being said, it seems substances were not a factor in this accident.

Ozzy Osbourne crashed his ATV and then went into an eight-day coma. When Ozzy woke from the coma, he spoke with Britain’s Sunday Mirror and recollected the traumatic incident in detail.

“If it wasn’t for Sam [Ruston] I probably wouldn’t be here,” Osbourne said. “He had to bring me back to life twice.”

For reference, Sam Ruston is Osbourne’s long-time bodyguard and friend. Osbourne also said that he learned a major lesson from the accident.

“I’ll never go near one of those damn bikes again,” he said. “I am lucky to be here today and not paralyzed. The doctors tell me every day it could have been a lot worse. I could be dead.”

Regarding Osbourne’s brush with death, his wife, Sharon Osbourne, stated that if “Ozzy had gone, I would have gone with him.”

As horrible of an accident and experience this was for Ozzy, it is surprising that he brushed death in this way. Surely, most people would have believed it would have come from his high-flying party days. When it comes down to it, Ozzy Osbourne was lucky to walk away from such an incident mostly unscathed. But, hey, moments like these are what make the man a legend!

Photo via Eddie Sanderson/Scopefeatures