The music world is still mourning the loss of a giant after Ozzy Osbourne died July 22 at age 76. Musicians all across the globe, from country singer Ian Munsick to Canadian songbird Celine Dion, have shared personal tributes to the “Godfather of Heavy Metal.” Recently, one such offering from best-selling British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart has left the internet scratching its collective heads.
Videos by American Songwriter
Rod Stewart’s Ozzy Tribute Includes Cameos from Prince, Tina Turner
Following Ozzy Osbourne’s death, Rod Stewart began dedicating his 1988 hit “Forever Young” to the Prince of Darkness during each night of his ongoing One Last Time tour. During Friday’s (Aug. 1) show at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia, however, the Grammy winner upped the ante a bit.
Fan-captured footage shows a presentation of AI-generated images featuring Osbourne taking selfies with other iconic musicians who also happen to be… well, dead. The sequence includes grinning cameos from Prince, Tina Turner, Freddie Mercury, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, George Michael, and rappers Tupac Shakur and XXXTentacion.
Understandably, the fan who shared the footage had questions. “The selfie sticks in heaven??!! XXXTentacion?!” TikTok user Sloane Steel wondered.
In an Instagram post, Steel called Stewart’s display “the craziest most disrespectful s— I ever saw in my LIFE!!!”
Elsewhere, another TikTok user added, “It’s the selfie stick AI combo that’s absolutely frying me.”
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 😭
— RileyTaugor 🏴 (@RileyTaugor) August 3, 2025
We truly are in the end timespic.twitter.com/UbaFnVh2Jt
Another pointed out the conspicuous absence of other dearly departed metal legends. “Where’s Lemmy [Kilmister], [Ronnie James] Dio, [Dimebag] Darrell?” they inquired.
[RELATED: Kelly Osbourne Posts NSFW Tribute to Late Father Ozzy on Instagram, Days After Funeral]
Initially, Stewart posted a much more benign tribute to his fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. “Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well my friend,” wrote the “Maggie May” crooner, 80, in a July 22 social media post. “I’ll see you up there — later rather than sooner.”
On July 30, thousands of fans converged on the “No More Tears” singer’s hometown of Birmingham, England, to pay their final respects ahead of a private family funeral. The Osbournes laid their patriarch to rest beside the lake of his Buckinghamshire home.
Featured image by Mathew Tsang/Getty Images
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