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When Rhoads died in a plane crash on March 19, 1982, at the age of 25, Osbourne wasted no time recruiting top-tier talent to fill his collaborator's shoes. Short-term replacements Bernie Torme and Night Ranger's Brad Gillis assisted on the road before he found hotshot shredder Jake E. Lee to take up the mantle on 1983's Bark at the Moon.

Without Lee, it's possible Osbourne would have never stabilized his career and begun the process of recovering from Rhoads' death. The guitarist often gets overshadowed by both his predecessor, Rhoads, and his successor, Zakk Wylde. Across three long-term tenures, the blonde-maned, bullseye-guitar-wielding shredder co-wrote some of Osbourne's biggest and most iconic songs, including "No More Tears," "Mama I'm Coming Home," "Road to Nowhere" and "Perry Mason."

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Jake E. Lee (1982-1987)
After two short-lived fill-ins, Osbourne finally found a long-term replacement for Rhoads in Jake E. Lee, who previously played in Rough Cutt and a pre-fame Ratt. Lee quickly made his mark on Osbourne's 1983 album Bark at the Moon, whose title track became a set list staple and features some of the most iconic guitar solos in his catalog. Lee also played on 1986's The Ultimate Sin before being fired in 1987. He went on to form the bluesy hard-rock band Badlands with singer Ray Gillen and drummer Eric Singer (both former Black Sabbath members), as well as bassist Greg Chaisson.

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