Many people have given their respect to Ozzy Osbourne after his death on July 22. Some have done this in person, and some have done this on social media. Rod Stewart decided to go a different route. The results were something of a mess.
In a recent concert, Sir Rod was doing a rendition of "Forever Young," and he began to show some scenes of Ozzy. Sort of. It appears that Stewart does this kind of thing often after the death of an icon, so this is nothing new.
There was also nothing wrong with the attempt. It was the cringeworthy execution that was the issue. Instead of showing clips of a real Ozzy Osbourne, Stewart's show used AI to generate Ozzy alongside other music royalty that has passed away.
Rod Stewart has a strange way of paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne
The videos, one of which you can see below, come out something like the paintings in Harry Potter, but instead of witches and wizards, fans see AI images of Ozzy and others.
One of the others that fake Ozzy appeared with was Michael Jackson. It is understandable for Rod Stewart, or anyone else, to pay their respects in how they see fit, but there needs to be a limit. The images were seemingly of Ozzy in heaven, having fun with people like Jackson.
Many people might rightfully be offended that Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness with a heart of gold who tried to help those less fortunate and help other artists build careers, would be happily standing next to Michael Jackson. Let's just say Jackson had a bunch of alleged issues and probably should have been left off of Stewart's homage.
Fans on Instagram, however, were quick to defend the AI video. One responder said, "I think it was lovely, and Ozzy would have loved it."
A random person on social media speaking for Ozzy Osbourne and saying what he would have loved is strange. But more odd is the video itself. The problem is the AI part. Why not just show real clips of Ozzy doing Ozzy things? That would have been more memorable, and far less weird.