Rod Stewart’s AI Tribute For Ozzy Osbourne Sparks Mixed Reviews

Fans are divided following the use of AI to create what was meant to be a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and other deceased celebrities during a Rod Stewart concert.

How Ozzy Was Featured During Rod Stewart’s Concert

Stewart played shows in Georgia and Alabama over the weekend as part of his One Last Time tour. Since July 22, the performance of his hit song, “Forever Young,” each night has been dedicated to Osbourne.

Ozzy died on July 22 at the age of 76.

Following Friday’s show, videos started to pop up on social media showing Stewart on stage during the song while a video board played an AI-generated video of Ozzy posing for selfies with other celebrities.

The AI version of Ozzy is seen in the video holding a selfie stick as he mugs for the camera with other notable dead musicians, including Prince, Kurt Cobain, and Michael Jackson.

The video continues to play while Stewart sings with arms outstretched toward the screen.

There’s also a Riverdance segment in the middle of the song.

Ozzy Fans React To AI-Generated Tribute

Ozzy fans on social media called the tribute “heinous” and “tacky.”

“This is so fucking disrespectful to all these artists,” reads one of the responses to a post containing the video on X (formerly Twitter).

READ MORE: The Musicians Who Attended Ozzy Osbourne’s Funeral

Others felt it was “fine” that Stewart would dedicate the song to Osbourne, but thought the AI-generated video was crossing the line.

Rod Stewart’s Connection To Ozzy Osbourne

While the AI-generated video may have made for an awkward tribute, Stewart did have some personal connections with Ozzy. The 80-year-old singer was among those who issued heartfelt statements on social media following Osbourne’s death on July 22.

“Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend, I’ll see you up there – later rather than sooner,” Stewart shared on his official accounts.

Their connection can be traced back to the early 1970s.

About the time things were starting to ramp up for Black Sabbath in 1969, Stewart became the lead singer of the English rock band Faces. Sabbath’s second U.S. show was opening for Faces at Fillmore East in New York City.

“We were pissed off with the Faces, actually, because they didn’t give us any time for soundcheck,” Ozzy wrote in his 2009 autobiography, I Am Ozzy. “And Rod kept well out of our way. Looking back now, I don’t suppose he was too happy having Black Sabbath supporting him.”

Stewart is next set to play in Brandon, Mississippi on Aug. 5.