A photographer has created a series of AI-generated images showing off what dead celebrities would look like if they had lived to old age⁠—including Freddie Mercury, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson.

The impressive, yet tragic images created with AI show how different things could have been had these cultural icons not died before their time.

Alper Yesiltas, the artist behind the project, said he uses 'various software programs' to make the images feel real and look photo-realistic. He told Bored Panda: "With the development of AI technology, I've been excited for a while, thinking that 'anything imaginable can be shown in reality'.

"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."

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However, Alper's latest image⁠⁠—a depiction of Princess Diana in old age⁠—has caused some upset among Royal fans.

One Instagram commenter said of the image: "This is an insult to Diana's memory. She'd be 61. She was a significantly beautiful woman of means and she would have taken care of herself.

"You have her looking like she sat in the sun smoking cigarettes in a Mississippi trailer park for the past 25 years."

Another wrote: "Don't make her the way she is! May it be the same as it remained in our memory and in eternity! Although she is definitely prettier than Camilla even here!"

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However, others have been impressed with the artwork, which looks like a real photo of an aged Diana.

One user said: "Beautiful artwork. It brought sadness and at the same time hope. Could you do Marilyn Monroe, JFK and James Dean?"

Regardless of your thoughts on the image of Diana, the images in Alper's project are undoubtedly impressive, giving us a glimpse at a world where the likes of John Lennon, Janis Joplin and 2pac lived to a ripe old age. You can view them here on Instagram

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