Ozzy Osbourne’s notorious ‘live bat’ incident from 1982 is once again making headlines following the Black Sabbath singer’s death at the age of 76.

The news of the rock legend's passing was revealed by his family on Tuesday (22 July), with a statement saying he died 'surrounded by love' .

The full statement read: "It is with more sadness than words can express that we must announce our beloved Ozzy Osbourne passed away this morning.

"He was with his family, enveloped in love. We request that everyone respect our family’s privacy during this time."

Among the tributes was one from animal charity PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), who commended him for ‘the gentle side he showed to animals’.

The charity stated: "Ozzy Osbourne was a legend and a provocateur, but PETA will fondly remember the 'Prince of Darkness' for the gentle side he showed to animals - most recently cats, by using his fame to oppose painful, crippling declawing mutilations.

Ozzy Osbourne's infamous 'bat moment' is doing the rounds again online after the singer's death (Kevin Mazur / Getty Images)

"Ozzy may have been the singer, but his wife, Sharon, and his daughter, Kelly, were united in their efforts to protect animals."

They added: "Ozzy will be missed by animal advocates around the globe."

However, the statement has led to confusion as people delve into Osbourne’s most famous animal-related incidents - some of which sparked controversy.

Most notably, the late Black Sabbath icon was involved in what the BBC has called ‘one of the most notorious moments in heavy metal history,’ featuring a bat.

The incident has resurfaced after the PETA tribute, leaving many puzzled about what actually transpired.

Did Ozzy Osbourne really bite the head off a live bat?

It was announced on Tuesday that the Black Sabbath star had passed away (Martyn Goodacre / Getty Images)

The incident occurred during one of his concerts on January 20, 1982, in Des Moines, Iowa, US, when a fan threw what the rockstar thought was a toy bat onto the stage.

In an attempt to entertain the audience, and not realizing it was a real animal, he picked it up for some theatrics and bit its head off - yes, really.

However, he has always insisted that although the bat was real, it wasn’t alive at the time.

In his 2010 autobiography, I Am Ozzy, the singer recalled the shocking incident and explored what truly happened.

He recounted picking it up, placing it in his mouth, and biting it, only to realize something was amiss.

Osbourne recalled the infamous story in his 2010 autobiography (Alex Pantling / Getty Images)

Osbourne wrote: "Immediately, something felt wrong. Very wrong. For starters, my mouth was suddenly filled with this warm, gloopy liquid. Then the head in my mouth twitched.

"Someone threw a bat. I just assumed it was a rubber bat. And I picked it up and put it in my mouth. I bit into it. Oh no, it's real. It was a real live bat."

In a 2006 interview with the BBC, Osbourne remarked: "This bat comes on. I thought it was one of those Halloween joke bats because it had some string around its neck.

"I bite into it, and I look to my left and Sharon [Osbourne, his wife and then manager] was going [gesturing no].”

He continued: "And I'm like, what are you talking about? She [says], 'it's a dead real bat'. And I'm... I know now!"

Meanwhile, Mark Neal, who claims to have brought the bat to the concert, said it had been dead for days before it was thrown onto the stage at Ozzy.