© Getty Images
1 / 45 Fotos
Whitney Houston
- Houston's family commissioned a hologram touring Europe and North America in 2020, yet this hasn't stopped fans as well as her cousin Dionne Warwick and old producer Clive Davis from getting upset about it.
© Getty Images
2 / 45 Fotos
Whitney Houston
- 'An Evening with Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Tour' features her digital reincarnation, accompanied by live musicians and dancers as her virtual self sings, struts, and shimmies through her biggest hits.
© Getty Images
3 / 45 Fotos
2Pac - In 2012, Snoop Dogg wooed the Coachella crowd with a life-sized hologram of the late Tupac Shakur.
© Getty Images
4 / 45 Fotos
Amy Winehouse - About eight years after Amy Winehouse passed away, a hologram of the singer was set to tour with a live band, but the tour was postponed, reportedly due to difficulty in remembering her legacy in a respectful manner, and the obvious lack of consent from the late artist.
© Getty Images
5 / 45 Fotos
Michael Jackson
- Six years after his death, Michael Jackson appeared at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. The hologram danced across the stage and surprised the crowd.
© Getty Images
6 / 45 Fotos
Janelle Monaé
- In 2014, Janelle Monaé performed as a hologram at an M.I.A. concert in New York City.
© Getty Images
7 / 45 Fotos
M.I.A. - M.I.A. returned the favor in Los Angeles, performing as a hologram alongside Monaé.
© Getty Images
8 / 45 Fotos
Roy Orbison - A hologram of Roy Orbison has been touring the world.
© Getty Images
9 / 45 Fotos
Roy Orbison - The hologram performs with a live orchestra.
© Getty Images
10 / 45 Fotos
Eazy-E
- Famed NWA member Eazy-E performed as a hologram during the 2013 Rock the Bells Music Festival in 2013.
© Getty Images
11 / 45 Fotos
Gorillaz
- Gorillaz may be the most famous virtual band out there. Masterminded by Damon Albarn, the band has often toured as virtual characters.
© Getty Images
12 / 45 Fotos
Gorillaz
- They were doing it before anyone else! Here one of their hologram figures appears during their performance at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2005.
© Reuters
13 / 45 Fotos
Gorillaz - The virtual band also performed with Madonna at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
© Getty Images
14 / 45 Fotos
Rihanna
- Rihanna is a very busy person, so she sent her hologram to model during the launch of her global lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, in 2018.
© Getty Images
15 / 45 Fotos
Maria Callas
- The late opera legend went on tour in holographic form, singing to the accompaniment of a full live orchestra, playfully engaging with the conductor and even the live audience!
© Getty Images
16 / 45 Fotos
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley passed away in 1977, but he returned to the stage 30 years later.
© Getty Images
17 / 45 Fotos
Elvis Presley - Hologram Presley performed with Celine Dion on 'American Idol.' They sang a duet of 'If I Can Dream.'
© Getty Images
18 / 45 Fotos
Mariah Carey - Back in 2011, Mariah Carey performed in five cities at the same time. A hologram of the singer simultaneously performed in Germany, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Poland.
© Getty Images
19 / 45 Fotos
ABBA - ‘American Idol’ creator Simon Fuller teased an “artificial intelligence” version of ABBA, yet the project didn’t seem to materialize.
© Getty Images
20 / 45 Fotos
ABBA
- There was, however, a strange interactive stage at ABBAWORLD, including a holographic ABBA experience that opened in 2010.
© Getty Images
21 / 45 Fotos
ABBA - ABBA reunited in 2018 and promised a hologram tour, which would immortalize them in the way they looked back in 1979. But it's repeatedly been delayed.
© Getty Images
22 / 45 Fotos
ODB
- Ten years after his death, a hologram of Ol’ Dirty B*****d rejoined the Wu-Tang Clan at the Rock the Bells festival.
© Getty Images
23 / 45 Fotos
The Notorious B.I.G. - A Notorious B.I.G. hologram was reported to be in the works back in 2016. However, the project has not yet materialized.
© Getty Images
24 / 45 Fotos
Claude François
- The late French singer's hologram is seen accompanied by the Claudettes, rehearsing for the "Hit Parade" hologram show at the Palais des Congres in Paris in 2017.
© Getty Images
25 / 45 Fotos
Ronnie James Dio - The heavy metal legend died in 2010, but made his holographic debut in front of 70,000 fans at Wacken Open Air festival in 2016.
© Getty Images
26 / 45 Fotos
Keith Urban
- Here's a photo you probably never imagined you'd see. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic plays guitar during the 2015 Australian Open alongside a hologram of Aussie music star Keith Urban.
© Getty Images
27 / 45 Fotos
Psy - The ‘Gangnam Style’ singer has performed as a hologram, as part of a partnership with YG Entertainment.
© Getty Images
28 / 45 Fotos
Kate Moss
- Though she's fully capable of strutting down the catwalk, Kate Moss appeared as a hologram at Alexander McQueen's Autumn/Winter 2006 show.
© Getty Images
29 / 45 Fotos
Hatsune Miku - Hatsune Miku is a permanently 16-year-old holographic performer. She was created by Crypton Future Media, and toured the US in 2016.
© Getty Images
30 / 45 Fotos
Marlene Dietrich
- A hologram of late, great actress Marlene Dietrich showed up to the unveiling ceremony of a star honoring her on the Walk of Fame in Berlin in 2010.
© Reuters
31 / 45 Fotos
Big Bang - The South Korean boy band has performed as holograms.
© Getty Images
32 / 45 Fotos
Mahatma Gandhi
- A hologram of Mahatma Gandhi gave a speech during the Fourth Ahinsa Lecture at the UNESCO Head Office in Paris in 2019.
© Getty Images
33 / 45 Fotos
Jared Leto
- A virtual hologram of a very '70s-looking Jared Leto speaks onstage during Comic-Con in 2017.
© Getty Images
34 / 45 Fotos
Jenni Rivera - The ranchera singer passed away in 2012, but returned in hologram form in 2016.
© Getty Images
35 / 45 Fotos
Jenni Rivera - She performed at a Day of the Dead event at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
© Getty Images
36 / 45 Fotos
Juan Gabriel - The Mexican singer passed away in 2016. Less than a year later, a hologram of Gabriel performed at a tribute concert in his home country.
© Getty Images
37 / 45 Fotos
Feist - In 2013, a hologram of Feist performed in three different Canadian cities at the same time.
© Getty Images
38 / 45 Fotos
Mike Brant
- Late Israeli pop star Mike Brant, who committed suicide at the height of his career, was recreated in hologram form for the "Hit Parade" hologram show at the Palais des Congres in Paris in 2017.
© Getty Images
39 / 45 Fotos
will.i.am
- British singer Cheryl Cole performed on stage with a hologram of Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am in Munich in 2010.
© Getty Images
40 / 45 Fotos
2NE1 - The girl group performed a 3D-hologram concert in London, at the Korea Brand and Entertainment Expo in 2013.
© Getty Images
41 / 45 Fotos
Taiji
- A hologram of deceased X-Japan band member Taiji performed onstage during Coachella in 2018.
© Getty Images
42 / 45 Fotos
Ronald Reagan
- The former US President was recreated as a hologram at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
© Getty Images
43 / 45 Fotos
Michael Phelps
- Probably in a pool somewhere, American Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps sent his hologram to model the new Speedo LZR Racer suit at its launch in 2008.
© Getty Images
44 / 45 Fotos
Chief Keef
- The controversial rapper is alive and well, but Chief Keef still has a patchy legal history. He tried to set up a holographic concert in Indiana, but police shut it down. See also: Young artists who tragically died before their time.
© Getty Images
45 / 45 Fotos
Holograms of famous people: creepy or cool?
Kanye West gifted his wife a hologram version of her deceased father, famed attorney Robert Kardashian
© Getty Images
These days it can be near-impossible to see your favorite stars up close. Beyond the skyrocketing ticket prices, not every musician can make it to your corner of the world. What's more, so many legendary talents and famous faces simply aren't around anymore. But don't fear: holograms are here.
Robert Kardashian is the latest, with Kanye West gifting his wife Kim Kardashian a hologram version of her father for her 40th birthday. But while some found the gift to be heartwarming, others found it downright weird.
Certainly celebrity holograms are controversial, but are they illegal? That's the question surrounding the latest hologram of the late Whitney Houston. While there's a hologram on tour that was commissioned by her family, there's now also been a recent 'Houston hologram' that's performed without authorization from her estate.
An improved hologram of the star–which was originally shelved in 2016 when it was supposed to appear on 'The Voice' but wasn't quite up to standards–showed up a variety show put on by record producer Scott Storch and Hologram USA. The original artist, Alki David, retooled his design and pitched it again. The problem is Whitney Houston's estate says they didn't authorize this. What's more, they may now be looking at their legal options.
Regardless of the legalities, audiences are divided on whether it's a great way to celebrate her life or a twisted way to exploit her in death. And what's more, both sides seem to agree on the strangeness of a virtual performance.
Of course, holograms are not just for those who've passed away, either. Click through this gallery to see which famous faces have appeared as holograms.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU




































MOST READ
- Last Hour
- Last Day
- Last Week
-
1
CELEBRITY Relationships
-
2
LIFESTYLE Exercise
-
3
LIFESTYLE Humanity
-
4
LIFESTYLE Organization
-
5
LIFESTYLE Folklore
-
6
CELEBRITY Acting
-
7
LIFESTYLE History
-
8
TRAVEL Architecture
-
9
LIFESTYLE Warfare
-
10
LIFESTYLE Battle
COMMENTS