Remembering Ozzy Osbourne Through His Yamaha Banshee Crash

Ozzy Osbourne has passed away at 76, leaving a legacy of excellent music, good times, and insane stories. There are a million tales out there about Ozzy having a brush with death, but did you know one of them involved a Yamaha Banshee? That’s right, one of the most notorious ATVs in history almost took the life of the Prince of Darkness all the way back in 2003.

The crash left Ozzy with cracked vertebrae, a broken collarbone, and eight broken ribs. He made a full recovery, and the Banshee ended up being sold at an auction four years later. After that, it was unclear what happened to his Banshee. It was never in any museum, nor did it make any appearances online. That was until 2022 when the ATV popped up again for auction.

The proof that it was actually Ozzy’s? It still had the dent in the front bumper, the crack on the rear wing, and a hand-written note in the owner’s manual from Sharon Osbourne that reads “Be safe.” After being untouched for all those years, it sold for $12,893 through Car & Classic.

Ozzy liked to have a good time, and his run-in with the Banshee is proof of that. Rest in peace to the Prince of Darkness, the father of metal, husband, dad, and friend to many. It’s impossible to know how many people blew out the speakers in their car thanks to his music, but he inspired millions, us here at UTV Driver and ATV Rider included.

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