Featured Image Credit: Dave Hogan/MTV 2014/Getty Images
Topics: Ozzy Osbourne, Music, Celebrity, UK News
Madison Burgess
Topics: Ozzy Osbourne, Music, Celebrity, UK News
One celebrity's bizarre way of paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne has been slammed by fans as 'disrespectful' and 'distasteful'.
The Black Sabbath rocker tragically passed away on 22nd July at the age of 76, with his family releasing an emotional statement at the time, confirming he'd died 'surrounded by love'.
Fans lined the streets of Birmingham to say goodbye with a funeral procession through his home town on Wednesday (30 July), where his wife Sharon Osbourne and their children were also in attendance.
Tributes have since have poured in for Osbourne from fans and celebrities around the world and the UK - and some have gone down better than others.
Advert
Fans praised King Charles III after the Band of the Coldstream Guards played a rendition of Black Sabbath's song ‘Paranoid' during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
However, someone who seemingly missed the mark was Rod Stewart, who has been paying tribute to the frontman in a very unique way during his 'One Last Time' tour.
During his recent gigs in America, the 80-year-old fellow British music legend has been dedicating his 1988 track 'Forever Young' to the late rocker.
But that's not all - the song has reportedly been accompanied by an AI-generated video that appears on the screens of the arena during the rendition.
The clip depicts Osbourne in heaven holding a selfie stick and taking pictures with other deceased stars, including Prince, Freddie Mercury, George Michael, Tina Turner, and Kurt Cobain.
Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson and rapper XXXtentacion also made an appearance.
As per the Charlotte Observer, during the star's recent concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, he told the crowd: "Very sad. A lot of those people died ’cause of drugs...I’m still here, though!"
Understandably, the video hasn't gone down too well with the internet, and fans' recordings of it have quickly spread across social media for all of the wrong reasons.
One Instagram user shared a clip of the moment and wrote alongside it: "This is the craziest most disrespectful s**t I ever saw in my life!!!"
They added in the caption: "Yes the rumours 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."
Other social media users rushed to the comments section to share their thoughts, with most of them in agreement.
One person wrote: "I am shocked that no one told Rod that this was a terrible idea!!!"
While a second added: "I was there too! Couldn’t believe no one around me thought it was weird!!!"
Others chimed in with: "I hate this so much" and "what in the actual f**k??"
"Omfg I was there too and was horrified by this!" wrote another concert-goer, while someone else agreed: "This is...astonishing. Upsetting and hilariously bad."
Another Instagram user penned: "I f***ing hate people that use ai this way with all my soul."
However, not everyone was outraged with the video and some people didn't think it was offensive in the slightest.
One person argued: "I think it's a wonderful tribute to all of the artists depicted."
While a second questioned: "Am I missing something? I don’t understand how this is disrespectful?"
And a third reasoned: "Honestly I don't think Ozzy would have cared."
"This review is ridiculous, Rod Stewart made a beautiful tribute!" added someone else.
Stewart also paid his respects to Ozzy with a social media tribute, writing on Instagram: "Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I’ll see you up there - later rather than sooner."
Tyla has contacted a representative for Rod Stewart for comment.