The Eeriest Celebrity Death Tributes

Each person experiences grief in a different way. Some choose to handle it in private with quiet respect for the dearly departed, while others make the decision to make one last grand gesture for that special someone. Celebrities prove to be no different in this regard. They may take to their social media accounts to pen a few heartfelt words, share a photo, and extend their condolences to friends and family, or they may do something far more unconventional than what anyone might have imagined. Sometimes, even years after the other person's passing.

In some instances, these tributes turn out to be eerie — or even downright bizarre — to any outsider looking in. Again, it's important to emphasize that people experience grief differently, so in someone else's mind, they could be seeing their actions as the ultimate honor rather than a head-scratching occurrence. Having said that, let's take a look at how Rod Stewart, Virgil, Outlawz, and Kanye West chose to pay tribute to dead celebrities in their own unique ways.

People around the world shared their reactions to the death of Ozzy Osbourne in July 2025. The legendary heavy metal singer and self-appointed Prince of Darkness left his mark on not just music but also pop culture as a whole. Everyone from Metallica to Adam Sandler posted personal messages, remembering Osbourne and sharing their fond memories of him. 

British singer Rod Stewart also shared a tribute to the former Black Sabbath frontman during one of his concerts; however, his contribution received swift backlash from fans and general internet commentators. Stewart decided to show off an AI-created video of Osbourne using a selfie stick, smiling and posing for pictures with other deceased musicians, such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Kurt Cobain, and Tupac Shakur. 

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 😭

We truly are in the end timespic.twitter.com/UbaFnVh2Jt

— RileyTaugor 🏴 (@RileyTaugor) August 3, 2025

First off, the selfie stick seems way off-brand for Osbourne. Second, the use of AI to create videos and images of real people remains a hotly debated topic — morally and ethically. While it's obvious that Stewart's implication is that Osbourne is reunited with all the greats in the afterlife now, it's quite the choice to convey it in this manner.

Speaking about Stewart's controversial tribute, one X user wrote, "We truly are in the end times." Others in the comments shared a similar sentiment, believing the video to have been in poor taste.

Rapper Coolio delivered a generational hit in the form of "Gangsta's Paradise." The track and its subsequent success exposed him to different industries and various celebrities, as he became a globally renowned public figure. In September 2022, he died of an accidental overdose at the age of 59. The heart-wrenching death of Coolio resulted in an outpour of messages and support from all over.

However, one of the most bizarre tributes came from professional wrestler Michael Jones, better known as Virgil in the WWE. On X, Virgil posted a picture of himself and Coolio with an unnamed blonde woman standing between them, along with the caption: "Man. @coolio my brother. We hit it all across the land man. I'm broken about this." The message turned spicier, though, as Virgil hinted that the woman in the picture wanted more than just a photo with Virgil and Coolio, saying, "Here is some blonde beggin us both for some Meatsauce. RIP my bro."

Man. @Coolio my brother. We hit it all across the land man. I'm broken about this. Here is some blonde beggin us both for some Meatsauce. RIP my bro. pic.twitter.com/8DqczqeQAT

— Virgil (@TheRealVirgil) September 29, 2022

To be fair, it wasn't an out-of-character post from Virgil, who often made fans laugh with his offbeat sense of humor and blunt comments throughout the decades. Many commentators under his post commented on his eulogy, noting that it wasn't a traditional one. In 2024, Virgil passed away at the age of 62.

Decades after his passing, rumors continue to persist about rapper Tupac Shakur. There are still numerous conspiracy theories about the circumstances of his death, while others believe the rapper might still be alive somewhere in the world. Another long-standing rumor was that Shakur's crew and hip-hop group Outlawz smoked the rapper's ashes, which was something they claimed to have done after his memorial.

Years later, Outlawz reaffirmed that it wasn't a hoax nor a publicity stunt: they actually smoked their former bandmate's ashes as a final farewell to him. Speaking to VladTV, E.D.I. Mean revealed that they did it, though he added the caveat that they smoked what they were told were his ashes. Explaining the reasoning behind it, E.D.I. referenced the lyric from the song "Black Jesuz," in which Shakur asks for his ashes to be smoked. E.D.I. spoke about how Shakur mentioned it was a way for them all to stay connected even after one of them passes, so they decided to do it to honor their fallen friend.

When talking about rappers who are really weird people, Kanye West is known as much for his  eyebrow raising shenanigans as he is for his music. Kanye often says or does things that not only shock the world but also have everyone wondering, "What was he thinking here?"

In October 2020, he decided to give his then-wife, Kim Kardashian, something more than expensive diamonds, exclusive perfume, or a luxury car for her 40th birthday. Instead, he chose a different type of gift: a hologram message from her deceased father, Robert Kardashian, whom many may know for being O.J. Simpson's attorney during his infamous trial.

Serving as something of a tribute to Robert as a man and father, as well as a special present for Kim, the hologram imparted advice to Kim from beyond the grave, even referencing events from her childhood. In addition, the holographic Robert danced and proclaimed Kanye to be "the most, most, most, most, most genius man in the whole world." While Kim referred to it as "the most thoughtful gift of a lifetime" on her X account, her fans had a lot to say about it. One commentator called it "peak 2020," while another user labeled it as "creepy and weird."