Rod Stewart Faces Backlash Over Ozzy Osbourne Tribute
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Rod Stewart has faced criticism online over his AI-generated tribute to late Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne.
Newsweek reached out to Stewart's representative for comment on Tuesday via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
Osbourne died on July 22 at the age of 76, just weeks after the original members of Black Sabbath reunited for a farewell concert in Birmingham, England, on July 5.
What To Know
Stewart, 80, is currently on tour in the United States and has been dedicating his song "Forever Young" to Osbourne at his shows.
In videos making the rounds on social media, an AI-generated Osbourne holds a selfie stick as he poses with other musicians who have died including: Prince, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Amy Winehouse, Tupac Shakur, Tina Turner, Bob Marley, XXXtentacion and more.
(L) Rod Stewart performs at Huntington Bank Field on September 13, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (R) Ozzy Osbourne performs with Black Sabbath onstage at Madison Square Garden on February 25, 2016 in New York City....
(L) Rod Stewart performs at Huntington Bank Field on September 13, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (R) Ozzy Osbourne performs with Black Sabbath onstage at Madison Square Garden on February 25, 2016 in New York City. More
Myrna M. Suarez/Getty Images for ABA; Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Following his "Forever Young" performance at his show in North Carolina, Stewart addressed the tribute. "Very sad. A lot of those people died 'cause of drugs," he said, The Charlotte Observer reported. "I'm still here, though!"
Stewart and Osbourne had performed together alongside Paul McCartney and Cliff Richard as part of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations in June 2002.
Prior to his tour tribute, Stewart penned a message to Osbourne via social media on the day he died.
"Bye, bye, Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend," he said on Instagram. "I'll see you up there—later rather than sooner."
What People Are Saying
On social media, people criticized Stewart for the AI-generated video.
@iamsloanesteel, who said they had witnessed the clip in person, wrote in an Instagram post with 636,000 views and 15,600 likes: "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."
X user @RileyTaugor said in a note with 3 million views and 11,000 likes: "Bruh what, Rod Stewart's tour features an AI video of Ozzy Osbourne taking selfies with XXXTentacion, Kurt Cobain, 2Pac, and many other artists in heaven. We truly are in the end times."
@EliOnVenus__ responded to pop culture account Pop Base's video of the viral moment in an X message with 173,800 views and 24,000 likes: "This is so disrespectful it's not even funny."
@peterlanee shared his thoughts in an X comment with 43,100 views and 375 likes: "So Rod Stewart has been on tour dedicating Forever Young to Ozzy... and now he's showing the AI generated video of him in heaven taking selfies with all these dead artists... I've seen some s****y AI visuals in concerts but this is a new low."
@svviftlet added in an X remark with 55,200 views and 4,200 likes: "this is beyond disrespectful. who told him this was a good idea? these people and their families would be disgusted."
@imnotpopbase voiced in an X post with 60,200 views and 820 likes: "i don't like where our world is heading."
@HaterYouLose chimed in on X: "Sick and not the cool way. This is weird as h***."
@Humming_birder stated on X: "That's creepy and tasteless of him."
Others, meanwhile, defended Stewart:
@Swishmeta said on X: "Amazing tribute."
X user @Howlingmutant0 wrote: "This rules."
What Happens Next
Stewart's tour continues on Tuesday at the Brandon Amphitheater in Brandon, Mississippi. The "Maggie May" singer concludes the U.S. leg of his tour in Las Vegas in October, before heading to Mexico, South America, Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
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