Rod Stewart Slammed by Fans for 'Disrespectful' Ozzy Osbourne AI Tribute: 'So Weird'

Rod Stewart is facing backlash after incorporating an AI-generated tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne into recent shows, with fans calling the gesture “disrespectful” across social media.

While performing his song “Forever Young” during a concert stop at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre on August 1, an AI-generated video showed Osbourne taking photos on a selfie stick in heaven with other late musicians, including Tina Turner, Prince, Tupac and XXXTentacion.

“Yes the rumors are true: I went to a Rod Stewart concert last night (lol) and witnessed man-made horrors beyond my comprehension,” a TikTok user wrote about the montage.

“Sooo weird,” one social media user wrote in the comments section, while another added, “This is a crime that should be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Good idea: pay tribute to Ozzy and his friends in heaven. Bad Idea: Making an AI-generated video with his dead friends/members.”

“Prince was 100% against this type of technology,” a third fumed. “He made that very clear while he was alive. This is all very much in poor taste!”

However, some fans appreciated the technology, with one viewer writing, “There’s not a single ounce of disrespect in it. There’s already a bunch of videos that have been made following his passing with musicians, Jesus, with his dogs / cats, on bikes with bat wings but this one is the best version I’ve seen so far.”

The show came more than two weeks after Osbourne’s family confirmed his death in a statement on July 22. The musician was 76 at the time of his passing.

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning," his wife, Sharon Osbourne, said in a statement with kids Aimee Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Jack Osbourne, and Louis Osbourne. "He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

Stewart was among the first to pay tribute to the late Black Sabbath rocker, writing via his Instagram Stories, “Bye bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I’ll see you up there — later rather than sooner.”