Ronnie O’Sullivan mural that left fans ‘terrified’ and made snooker star ‘turn into a zombie’ looks set to be updated

THE ARTIST behind a controversial Ronnie O’Sullivan mural has admitted touch-ups are needed after fans were left horrified by the original. Chris Ashmore was commissioned to paint the giant tribute to seven-time world champion O’Sullivan on the back wall of Spot On Snooker Club on Langsett Road, Sheffield. The controversial Ronnie O’Sullivan mural in Sheffield has left snooker fans divided after the Rocket was given a bizarre “zombie-like” makeoverCredit: X Ronnie O’Sullivan lines up a shot during his latest snooker action as the seven-time world champion continues his pursuit of silverware Credit: Alamy But the mural quickly went viral after fans heavily criticised it. One fan said: “My local snooker club has done a mural of Ronnie O’Sullivan. They’ve turned him into a zombie!” Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Another joked: “The Ronnie O’Sullivan wall painted mural can’t hurt you…” And one stunned viewer admitted: “Saw this on here and thought it might be AI so I went and had a look. Oh, it’s real. Terrifying and real.” But Ashmore has hit back at the criticism, insisting fans have been judging a work which is nowhere near finished. The Sheffield street artist revealed he had only completed two weeks of the five weeks assigned to the project and still has plenty of work to do. Ashmore said: “It’s not finished, there’s bits of skin tone to do and I’ll finish it off as and when I can” “I usually use a scissor lift, where you can stand back and see things as a whole, but I couldn’t use it as the land is too uneven. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS The Rocket’s most recent showdown was against Chang Bingyu in China in their Wuhan Open 2026 semi-final which O’Sullivan lost Credit: Alamy “When the scaffolding came down, I came away and boom – it’s gone viral. I saw people saying it looks like Michael Jackson or a zombie. I’ve got thick skin, I’ll be OK, but it didn’t feel fair. “I’m not just going to rush it in three days because people have complained on social media. I want to do it properly in my own time.” Spot On manager Dan Kirkland has also defended the mural, while admitting there are areas of O’Sullivan’s face which need work. Kirland said: “Yes, we’ve seen what you’ve seen. There are parts of the face that need tweaking, particularly around the eye and mouth. “Some relatively small changes will make a huge difference, so we’ll arrange whatever access Chris needs.” However, Kirkland hit out at those who had turned their criticism on Ashmore personally. He said: “What has upset us is seeing some of the reactions becoming personal towards Chris. “People are absolutely entitled to like or dislike a mural. But having an opinion about a piece of artwork is one thing, slagging off the person who created it is another.” The mural appeared close to Sheffield’s iconic Crucible, where O’Sullivan has won all seven of his world titles. Most recently, O’Sullivan was playing in China – where he was beaten 6-3 by Chang Bingyu in the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open on Friday. Afterwards, the 50-year-old said: “I will see out the next 18 months and see how we go. I don’t want to throw the towel in just yet. I’ve committed to playing until then. “I want to give myself a chance. I’d hate to finish my career on performances like that.” Comment now