Madonna Criticized For Recreating Marilyn Monroe's Death For Cover Shoot: 'Gross And Inappropriate'

Madonna has come under fire for recreating the scene of Marilyn Monroe's death for a new photoshoot.

In her new cover shoot for V Magazine, the 63-year-old singer channeled the iconic blonde bombshell in photos captured by photographer Steven Klein. The shoot was inspired by Bert Stern's "The Last Sitting," the final photoshoot Monroe sat for, six weeks before her death at the age of 36 on Aug. 4, 1962, Page Six reported.

In one picture, the "Material Girl" hitmaker can be seen lying face down on a mattress, exposing her bottom. Another shot showed prescription pills on her nightstand.

Monroe was found dead in bed in her Los Angeles home, and her cause of death was said to be an overdose of barbiturates, or sedative drugs.

The photos immediately sparked intense backlash from social media users, who called them inappropriate and disrespectful.

"For some morbid and eerie reason, Madonna decides to re-create Marilyn Monroe’s death bed," Mike Sington tweeted.

Another Twitter user responded, "Yuck. Gross and inappropriate."

"She is trying desperately to be relevant," another wrote, while a fourth Twitter user commented, "This isn't cool. Glamorizing suicide is the only takeaway once the shock factor wears off."

Some users suggested that Madonna's photos look heavily retouched.

"Looks like she also channeled Photoshop," one wrote. Another Twitter user mocked the photoshoot by joking that it was "sponsored by Adobe Creative Suite."

Amid the backlash, fans of Madonna praised her look in the shoot.

"Madonna will always be an icon just like Marilyn. I’m here for it," one wrote, while another commented, "She [pulled] some classic Madonna looks."

"Queen Madonna looks as sexy as ever!!!" a third fan wrote.

"Madonna looks amazing in the shots shared so far," another user added.

The photographer behind Madonna's cover shoot explained that they were not trying to recreate Monroe's final photoshoot "exactly" but rather wanted to explore the "relationship between photographer and subject."

"When I sent Madonna the photos, she was really taken by the incandescent fragility of Marilyn at that moment in her life," Klein said, via press release. "We decided to find a hotel suite and try to capture the liaison between a star and the camera, the mystery, and magic of this creative collaboration."