Rod Stewart's AI Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne Sparks Controversy and Ethical Debate

Rod Stewart's bizarre AI tribute to Ozzy Osbourne features Kurt Cobain, Tupac, and more

Rod Stewart, the man that you are. Credit: Mathew Tsang/Getty Images Rod Stewart never ceases to amaze fans with his weird choices. At Stewart's show in Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 29, he dedicated his song "Forever Young" to longtime friend Ozzy Osbourne and played an AI-generated video featuring the late Osbourne using a selfie stick to take pictures with other famous musicians who have died, including Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Prince, Freddie Mercury, Tupac, Kurt Cobain, XXXTentacion, and Amy Winehouse. One concert-goer called it a "new low" for AI use. A user on X pointed out that Stewart's use of an AI-generated video is a bit odd since he was friends with Osbourne and has performed with him -- he could have simply used that footage instead. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Now, I know what you might be thinking: "At some point, you have to take responsibility for your own actions." That is something my mom might say to me if I came home from a Stewart concert complaining about him having done something weird. Stewart is a man with odd takes. For instance, he turned down a multi-million dollar gig in Saudi Arabia in 2023 because of the country's treatment of women and LGBTQ+ people, but, in 2025, publicly voiced support for far-right politician Nigel Farage, who famously has some controversial anti-LBGTQ+ and anti-choice views. Stewart is a man of many contradictions. So when he said in 2023 that AI could be the "destruction of mankind as we know it," we should have calculated that he might use AI for a bizarre tribute in 2025.

Rod Stewart Shows Bizarre AI Video of Ozzy Osbourne Holding a Selfie Stick With Michael Jackson

The singer Rod Stewart has been criticized for using AI images of dead musical icons posing for selfies together at his concert tour. During his performance of Forever Young, the British rocker made a bizarre tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who died two weeks ago, under the banner "Eternal Stars" which involved an AI version of the heavy metal singer holding a selfie stick smiling with fellow icons including Janis Joplin, Prince, Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Tupac Shakur, Aaliyah, Michael Jackson Freddie Mercury, George Michael, Kurt Cobain, XXXTenacion, Whitney Houston, and Amy Winehouse. Writer Sloane Steel attended Stewart's show in Alpharetta, Georgia, and shared a video of "Eternal Stars" on her Instagram page, where it quickly went viral. Rolling Stone reports that Stewart also played the AI video at a show in Charlotte, North Carolina, a few days before the Alpharetta date and after singing Live Forever said, "Very sad. A lot of those people died 'cause of drugs... I'm still here, though!" Online, people have called the video "disrespectful" and expressed their general unease with the technology. Osbourne died on July 22, and his funeral was held last week in his home city of Birmingham, UK. Far Out reports that a number of musicians have paid tribute to Osbourne since his passing including Cage the Elephant at Lollapalooza and Oasis during the band's reunion tour while playing at London's Wembley Stadium. The Stewart incident shows just how easy it is now to create AI videos. Netflix recently admitted to using generative AI in one of its original productions. The streaming giant turned to generative AI to create a video of a building collapsing in Buenos Aires during an episode of The Eternauts, an Argentinian sci-fi show.

Rod Stewart Revives Selfie Stick-Wielding Ozzy Osbourne In Disgusting AI Slop Video

Ozzy Osbourne's body is barely cold after his July 22 death, but he's already being subjected to the off-putting AI resurrection trend by fellow musician and contemporary Rod Stewart. In a now-viral video taken at the Alpharetta, Georgia stop of Stewart's "One Last Time" tour on August 1, Stewart rolled AI-generated "footage" of the late Black Sabbath frontman smiling and using a selfie stick to snap photos with other deceased musicians, including Prince, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Tupac "2Pac" Shakur, and -- perhaps most strangely -- rapper Jahseh "XXXTentacion" Onfroy, who was accused of horrific violent crimes before his death in 2018. While the 80-year-old Stewart belted his poppy cover of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young," an audience member was heard narrating the video's surprise guests, at one point hollering "no, not 2Pac!" as her fellow concert attendees rocked on. Originally posted to TikTok, the video made its way across social networks at lightning speed as fans and foes of AI slop alike heaped criticism on the ghoulish display. In an Instagram post of the same clip, the person who appears to have filmed the AI-generated monstrosity joked that they "witnessed man-made horrors beyond my comprehension," in reference to a quote by inventor Nikola Tesla that has become a common meme. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Stewart's disrespectful slop-heaping was a one-time deal. In a review of another stop of the Stewart tour, Charlotte Observer entertainment reporter Theodon Janes -- who, in full disclosure, mentored this reporter many moons ago at her first-ever internship -- noted that the video was also played during the concert he attended as well. "Very sad. A lot of those people died 'cause of drugs," the Scottish singer bemoaned of the late Osbourne and his heavenly compatriots. "I'm still here, though!" Because there's little information about the AI video besides where it was played, who was in it, and what Stewart sang and said while it was broadcast behind him on a massive screen, we know neither the clip's origins nor why it was chosen for the tour at all. Reports do indicate, however, that prior to the appearance of this AI phantasmagoria, the "Maggie May" singer did show photos of Osbourne on stage following his death at age 76, and that he paid tribute to him in a heartfelt Instagram post as well. We've reached out to Stewart's publicist to ask what was up with the video and how it ended up being shown on the "One Last Time" tour, and we hope some guys -- in this case, we at Futurism -- will have "all the luck" of getting a response.

Rod Stewart sparks backlash with 'disrespectful' AI-generated Ozzy...

Rod Stewart is facing scrutiny for paying tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne with an AI-generated clip at one of his recent concerts. The video from the "Maggie May" singer's show on Friday, August, 1, was captured by a concertgoer and showed footage of Osbourne celebrating in Heaven with other deceased music legends like Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Prince, Kurt Cobain, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse and George Michael as Stewart's 1988 hit "Forever Young" played in the background. AI-generated images of Whitney Houston, Tupac Shakur, Freddie Mercury, Aaliyah and XXXTentacion also appeared in the clip. Osbourne appeared smiling with Turner as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll held onto a selfie stick. In another part of the footage, the late Black Sabbath rocker held the selfie stick as he posed with several of the other late legends. "Yes the rumors are true: I went to a Rod Stewart concert last night (lol) and witnessed man made horrors beyond my comprehension. Ozzy Osbourne with a selfie stick in heaven smiling with Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Prince, and...XXXTentacion," the audience member captioned the video. The concertgoer continued to express their distaste for the tribute, writing over the clip, "This is the craziest most disrespectful s-t I ever saw in my LIFE!!!" "Rod Stewart really thought this was a brilliant idea. 😑," one person responded to the footage. "I've seen some s -- ty AI visuals in concerts but this is a new low. We truly are in the end times," another replied. Several people insisted that Prince would be the most upset about his image being used for the AI video. "Weekend at Bernie's vibes. Prince didn't even want his music on Spotify and changed his name to a Symbol to protect his intellectual property I'm 100% sure he wouldn't have signed off on Rod Stuart Puppeteering his face for this tacky 💩," someone wrote, while a second commented, "Prince would beat rod stewart with hammers if he knew about this." Prince changed his name to the unpronounceable symbol in 1993, with many speculating it was a ploy to get out of his contract with his longtime label, Warner Bros. Records. The "Purple Rain" singer, who died in 2016 at age 57, was then referred to as the "Artist Formerly Known as Prince." The Post has reached out to Stewart and Osbourne's rep for comment. The Prince of Darkness died on July 22 at age 76 following a series of health ailments, including a Parkinson's diagnosis. "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," the statement obtained by The Post from his wife, Sharon Osbourne, and four of his other children, Kelly, Jack, Aimee and Louis, read. "He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," his loved ones concluded. Following his passing, Stewart took to social media and wrote, "Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I'll see you up there -- later rather than sooner." His wife, Sharon, 72, sobbed alongside their three children, Aimee, 41, Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39, as thousands gathered in the rocker's hometown of Birmingham, England, for his funeral procession on July 30. The "Mama, I'm Coming Home" singer was laid to rest the next day by the lake at his home in Buckinghamshire following his private funeral, attended by fellow rockers, including his Black Sabbath bandmates, Marilyn Manson, White Zombie frontman Rob Zombie and Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor. On Monday, Kelly shared a heartfelt message to fans, thanking them for their support while giving an update on how her family is coping after losing its patriarch. "Grief is a strange thing -- it sneaks up on your in waves," she said in part. "I will not be OK for a while -- but knowing my family are not alone in our pain makes a difference."