Snoop Dogg 'resurrects' Tupac Shakur

Rapper Tupac Shakur, who was shot to death 16 years ago at the age of 25, was resurrected on stage Sunday for an eerie posthumous performance with former creative collaborator and hip-hop icon, Snoop Dogg.

Snoop was joined by a life-size hologram of Tupac who stunned the crowd of 75,000 fans when he appeared onstage

The bare-chested Tupac - who was dressed in sagging jeans and Timberland boots circa 1995, just like ones he wore around the time he was shot dead on September 13, 1996, aged 25.

And he greeted the roaring crowd saying:' What's up Coachella?' - a festival that wasn't even taking place at the time of his death - before joining Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre on hit single Hail Mary.

Shakur also joined Snoop for song Gangsta Party stalking around the stage in his trademark style.

The image of a shirtless Tupac, wearing a pair of jeans and brown boots, was also seen interacting with Snoop - making it look incredibly realistic to the cheering crowd.

After performing the track Dr Dre came on stage and screamed: 'Make some f**ing noise for Tupac.'

The hologram of the late rapper had been programmed to greet the crowd by saying: '"what the f*** is up, Coachella?'

And the stunt certainly drew some mixed reactions from those watching.

While some argued that the inclusion of the late rapper's image was in bad taste, many of his celebrity fans took to  Twitter page to express their excitement over the dramatic performance.

Katy Perry tweeted: 'I think I might have cried when I saw Tupac.'

RIhanna added: 'TupacBack unbelievable Iwasthere Story4myGrandKidz (sic).'

The pair were later joined by famous friends including 50 Cent, Eminem and Wiz Khalifa.

And following the performance, Khalifa tweeted: 'F*****g 2pac Ahhhhhhh!!! I Performed Wit Dr Dre And Snoop Dogg!!! Awww f*** Im So Happy To Be Alive. That Was The Best s**t I Seen In My Life! Thank Everybody!!! Snoop. Dre. Warren G. Pac. The Stoners. The Ratchet!!! Usher. 50 Cent. Coachella Was Life Changing!!!"

t seems that it wasn't just fans that were delighted to see the late rapper back on stage - his mother Afeni Shakur was also 'thrilled' with the hologram.

According to TMZ Dr Dre asked Tupac's mother's permission to incporporate him into their show and as a thank-you made a donation to the charity in the late rapper's name.

Tupac died in 1996 aged 25 after being shot four times, but is still one of the best-selling musical artists in the world.

The resurrection was achieved with the use of modern technology derived from a 19th Century technique called Pepper's Ghost.

The very same technology was used to help Mariah Carey perform a special Christmas treat for fans in five different European cities last year.

The singer worked with Deutsche Telekom to appear in Germany, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Poland.

The 40-year-old hitmaker was seen smoking a suspicious looking roll-up on stage in front of the packed out crowd.

Snoop was seen smoking several 'joints' throughout hour and a half set including a huge white 'cigarette' with his prodigy Khalifa, who is engaged to Kanye West's ex-girlfriend Amber Rose.

The pair rapped about smoking weed while sharing the large roll-up.

As well as paying tribute to Tupac, Snoop and Dre also paid homage to another deceased friend, Nate Dogg, who passed away last March from complications relating to a series of strokes - he was just 41 years of age.

Warren G joined the duo on stage to perform famous hit Regulate while pictures flashed up behind them.

Tens of thousands of music fans surrounded the stage to watch Snoop and Dre play their old hits including Old Pros, The Next Episode and Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang as well as some of their newer tracks.