Jimi Hendrix, aged. (Source: Alper Yesiltas)

AI Software Ages Images of Rock, Arts Icons Who Died Young to Today

The 27 Club is filled with rock and roll stars that passed from this world at 27. For some reason, that age has been hard on rock and rollers since the late 60s. Consider:

Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) Kurt Cobain was performing as part of Nirvana. …
Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) …
Jim Morrison (1943-1971) …
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) …
Janis Joplin (1943-1970) …
Robert Johnson (1911-1938) …
Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) …
Brian Jones (1942-1969)

These folks mostly died from drug overdoses. That was and still is the sad truth about that lifestyle. However, the music lives on and now the images of these artists live on. Thanks to AI. Now if you wonder what these artists might have looked like today had they lived so did this artist.

Photographer Alper Yesiltas has attempted to answer that very question, creating a range of images entitled, “As If Nothing Happened.”

Using AI technology, the artist has artificially adapted photos of some of the most famous guitarists of all time, generating a portrait of how he thinks they would look if they hadn’t passed away prematurely. “With the development of AI technology, I’ve been excited for a while, thinking that ‘anything imaginable can be shown in reality,’” Yesiltas wrote in the original post, describing why he pursued the project.

“When I started tinkering with technology, I saw what I could do and thought about what would make me the happiest. I wanted to see some of the people I missed again in front of me and that’s how this project emerged.”

Musicians such as Janis Joplin, Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley are also included in the range of portraits, as well as famous faces from the world of film, including Heath Ledger and Bruce Lee. And since a picture is worth a thousand words take a look below.

Freddie Mercury

Heath Ledger

And Of Course Janis Joplin

Explaining how he rendered the ten images used in the project, Yesiltas states he used software including the AI photo enhancer Remini and photo-editing programs VSCO and Adobe Lightroom.

You can see all of the images at the link below. And though you may not remember these stars as well as some other generations, you can be sure many of us wish they could have grown old with us. With these AI images, they almost have.

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