The internet is flooded with artificial intelligence-generated images and videos showing famous musicians paying tribute to Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, after his assassination. These tributes feature renowned artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Robert Plant, but none of them have publicly commented on Kirk's death.
One such image shows a distraught Bruce Springsteen laying flowers at a Kirk memorial, with a caption quoting him as saying, "I've buried friends, I've buried heroes... but watching children lose a father cuts deeper than any song I've ever written." Another post claims Bob Dylan performed outside Turning Point USA headquarters, singing a trembling acoustic version of "Blowin' in the Wind" before whispering, "Give me back my brother." Similarly, a fake post alleges Robert Plant stopped his Nashville show mid-set to dedicate a performance of "God Bless America" to Kirk.
These fabricated tributes have sparked controversy and confusion online, with many users sharing and amplifying the false information. Some fans have expressed their admiration for the musicians, while others have pointed out the obvious AI-generated nature of the content. The trend is part of a larger phenomenon of AI-generated rock memes that have been popping up on social media sites.
Other musicians who have been falsely associated with tributes to Charlie Kirk include Ed Sheeran, with AI-generated videos of him singing "Rest in Peace, Charlie Kirk," and Jelly Roll, who allegedly paid a tearful tribute to Kirk during a concert. However, these claims have been debunked, and the original content creators have not publicly addressed Kirk's death.
