The sincerest form of flattery? Mike Tyson took to Twitter on Thursday, April 21, with a rather unusual tribute to late music legend Prince — and fans of the “Purple Rain” singer had mixed reactions.
Tyson, 49, shared a Photoshopped image of his face superimposed onto Prince’s body on the cover of the icon’s self-titled 1979 album, with the word “Printhe” in place of “Prince,” a clear nod to the heavyweight champion’s famous lisp.
“#supertribute to #Prince #RIP Like the world I mourn but celebrate your spirit with your music,” he captioned the bizarre image.
#supertribute to #Prince #RIP Like the world I mourn but celebrate your spirit with your music pic.twitter.com/NhdPnHRwa9
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) April 22, 2016
Twitter immediately responded to Tyson’s post.
https://twitter.com/zandywithaz/status/723409444466356224
@MikeTyson wtf Mike
— Виталий Мутко (@Vitaly_Mutko) April 22, 2016
@MikeTyson @citizenkawala without question, THAT my friend is the wildest tweet of the day. Swirling in the heavens tonight. Our Prince.
— Catte Adams ? (@catteadams) April 22, 2016
Only @MikeTyson could face swap with Prince and get away with it
— Major Bonghit (@happytobehigh) April 22, 2016
@MikeTyson You sexy Mutha….Ow!
— Dave Dangerfield (@davejool30) April 22, 2016
Earlier in the day on Thursday, countless other celebrities turned to social media to share their favorite memories of the singer, as well as mourn the loss of a legend.
“I’m still in shock as I write this and I feel this overwhelming grief,” Justin Timberlake wrote in a poignant remembrance. “But, we should all turn away from that and HONOR this musician that changed all of our lives, our perspectives, our feeling, our whole being. From another planet? Probably. Royalty, for sure. Us worthy..? Laughable.”