Rock and roll pest control

As rocker Ozzy Osbourne is laid to rest today in his hometown of Birmingham, England, we look back at his unorthodox run-ins with birds and bats.

The legendary singer for Black Sabbath, who successfully launched a solo career and appeared on a wildly popular reality TV show, died July 22 at age 76, weeks after performing at his star-studded Back to the Beginning farewell concert.

When you’re known as the Prince of Darkness, a lack of proper pest control protocols and personal protective equipment (PPE) should come as no surprise. Tributes after Osbourne’s death noted he was one of a kind, and fortunately, that pertains to his run-ins with bats and birds.

Osbourne reportedly bit the head off a bat onstage. The infamous event took place on Jan. 20, 1982, in Des Moines, Iowa, during a tour for his second solo album, “Diary of a Madman.” At the time, the singer’s act included tossing raw meat and animal parts into the audience.

Fans felt compelled to participate and often brought similar items to shows. On that fateful night, a 17-year-old concertgoer brought a bat to the show, where it landed onstage. Osbourne picked it up, thinking it was a fake rubber bat like the ones used as Halloween decorations, and chomped down on its head, the BBC noted. The impulsive act was widely considered one of the wildest myths in rock and roll history; however, Osbourne himself confirmed it did happen.

Nine months earlier, according to the BBC, Osbourne pulled a similar stunt during a meeting in Los Angeles, Calif., with his record label.

In a “symbolic gesture of peace,” he brought along three live doves he planned to release into the air after giving a speech of thanks, the BBC said. Accounts of what happened next vary, but rest assured, Osbourne bit the head of at least one dove, perhaps two. Whether they were living or dead is under dispute.

Osbourne’s antics on and offstage remain unmatched as millions of fans around the world mourn his passing.