Controversial Ozzy Osbourne Tribute Sparks Outrage Among Fans

Rod Stewart is stirring controversy after debuting an AI-generated tribute to Ozzy Osbourne during his “One Last Time” tour—just weeks after the Black Sabbath frontman’s death.

The 80-year-old music legend has been dedicating his song “Forever Young” to Osbourne, who passed away on July 22 at age 76. But during a stop in Atlanta on August 1, Stewart took it a step further—projecting AI-generated visuals of Ozzy surrounded by other deceased icons like Michael Jackson, Prince, Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner, Kurt Cobain, George Michael, Amy Winehouse, and Bob Marley.

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 shitty AI visuals in concerts but this is a new low pic.twitter.com/WZMCNFlrOU

— peter lane (@peterlanee) August 3, 2025

And fans are split.

“This is the most distasteful thing I’ve seen,” one critic posted on X. Another called it “embarrassing.” But not everyone was appalled. One fan wrote, “If this is Rod’s way of showing respect to those people that passed away, that’s his way… everyone grieves differently.” Others called it “weird,” while some said it was “pretty cool.”

At his Charlotte show days earlier, Stewart ended the tribute with a pointed comment: “Very sad. A lot of those people died ’cause of drugs… I’m still here, though.”

Stewart had previously shared a personal tribute to Osbourne on Instagram the day he died, writing: “Bye, bye Ozzy. I’ll see you up there—later rather than sooner.”

So far, Stewart hasn’t commented on the backlash.

Meanwhile, Osbourne was laid to rest in a private ceremony on the grounds of his Buckinghamshire estate, one day after thousands lined the streets of Birmingham for a public farewell. The rock icon was buried near a lake on his 250-acre property. A massive floral display spelled out “OZZY F—ING OSBOURNE” on the lakeshore.

Guests at the private service reportedly included Metallica’s James Hetfield, Elton John, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and Osbourne’s longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde.

Sharon Osbourne was seen in tears at the public procession, walking hand-in-hand with their children, Jack and Kelly. The family led mourners to the Black Sabbath bridge and bench on Broad Street, where tributes poured in from fans around the world.

Back in 2011, Osbourne wrote in The Times that he wanted his funeral to be fun, not somber. “I want it to be a celebration, not a mope-fest,” he said, joking he’d love a coffin prank or even Justin Bieber on the playlist. “There’ll be no harping on the bad times.”

After 43 years of marriage, Sharon Osbourne now carries out her husband’s final wish: to be remembered not with sorrow, but with laughter, gratitude—and maybe even a little mischief.