His last visit to the Alamo involved drugs, a dress, and an unfortunate decision, and ended in him being chased out of town by an angry mob – literally.
Now more than 33 years later, the Prince of Darkness has returned to the scene of one of rock and roll’s most infamous “crimes.”
On Feb. 19, 1982, Ozzy Osbourne – whose real name is John Michael Osbourne – was arrested after he lifted up his dress (yes, he was wearing a dress) and urinated on the Alamo Cenotaph, a monument erected in 1939 to honour the men who died in the famous battle in 1836.
During a concert that same night in San Antonio, Texas, Osbourne was pelted with rocks by angry fans and a riot broke out, though there are conflicting reports about whether the riot was sparked by the urination incident or fans angry that they were denied access to the concert.
In any event, Osbourne received a lifetime ban from the city of San Antonio, Texas, though this was lifted in 1992 when Osbourne donated $10,000 to Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the group that maintains and manages the Alamo.
“That’s one of the downfalls of alcohol and drugs: when you’re stupid, you do stupid things,” Osbourne said during a 1992 interview.
“And one of the stupid things I did was urinate at the Alamo.”
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Built in 1744 as a Roman Catholic Mission, the Alamo was the site of a famous last stand in 1836 during the Texas Revolution, where a group of Texan defenders were encircled, besieged, and ultimately killed by the Mexican Army of General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
The defenders of the Alamo – including iconic historical figures such as James Bowie, Col. William Travis, and Davy Crockett – have since grown to mythic status in Texas history.
Osbourne toured the Alamo Thursday along with his son Jack Osbourne as part of a documentary for the History Channel, drawing a large crowd of fans and onlookers.
“This is my first time here, not his,” Jack Osbourne joked according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Fans gathered to welcome the British rocker were apparently willing to forgive him his past urinary transgressions.
“I grew up on Ozzy Osborne and well, I’m raising my family on Ozzy Osborne obviously,” Osbourne superfan Mario Guerra told NBC News alongside his young daughter Catalina. “This is just an opportunity: One, for us to spend father-daughter time together, and two, for us to see an icon.”
“I understand I offended an awful lot of people,” Osbourne said. “And I’m not trying to say ‘please forgive me,’ because the bottom line is I did it, and I’m trying to make amends.”
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