Music Legend, 80, Divides Fans With Bold Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne — ‘Terrible and Corny’ originally appeared on Parade.
Rod Stewart paid tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne during his One Last Time tour — but his gesture has sparked mixed reactions from fans. The 80-year-old music icon dedicated a portion of his show to honor the legendary Black Sabbath frontman following his recent tragic passing.
What started as a touching memorial has some fans calling it “terrible and corny,” while others defend Stewart’s approach to honoring his friend. The controversy began when Stewart dedicated his classic hit “Forever Young” to Osbourne following his death on July 22.
Initially, the tribute featured projections of Osbourne during the emotional ballad. However, everything reportedly changed during Stewart’s concert at the Ameris Bank Amphitheater outside Atlanta on Friday, August 1.
According to NME, while the performance began with standard photos of Osbourne, the visuals quickly evolved into AI-generated images. These artificial photos appeared showing Osbourne alongside deceased music legends Prince, Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, George Michael and Amy Winehouse, all positioned against cloudy backdrops suggesting a heavenly reunion.
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Concertgoers took to social media to share their responses, with many questioning Stewart’s decision to use artificial intelligence for such a personal tribute.
One fan wrote under a video of the performance, “Good idea: pay tribute to Ozzy and his friends in heaven. Bad Idea: Making an AI-generated video with his dead friends/members.”
The criticism didn’t stop there. Another viewer bluntly stated, “AI content is NOT a good thing,” and another added, “It’s terrible and corny.”
However, not everyone condemned Stewart’s creative choice. Some fans offered a different perspective, suggesting the tribute represented the singer’s personal way of processing grief.
“If this is Rod’s way of showing respect to those people that passed away that’s his way. Everyone is gonna show respect their own way everyone is different everyone isn’t gonna do it the same way,” one supporter wrote.
After Osbourne’s death was announced, Stewart posted on Instagram to pay his respects. “Bye, bye Ozzy. I’ll see you up there— later rather than sooner,” he captioned the photo.
As Stewart’s One Last Time tour continues across the United States through early October before heading to Europe, fans remain divided on his tribute choice.
The singer has yet to address the controversy surrounding the AI-generated visuals, leaving audiences to speculate whether he’ll modify the tribute or continue with his current version.
Music Legend, 80, Divides Fans With Bold Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne — ‘Terrible and Corny’ first appeared on Parade on Aug 4, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
