LOS ANGELES • Disgusting. Disrespectful. Exploitation.

This was the reaction from musicians and their families after reality television celebrities Kendall and Kylie Jenner rolled out US$125 (S$172) T-shirts featuring their faces over images of musicians such as Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne, Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.

The backlash forced the sisters to back down on Thursday.

"These designs were not well thought out and we apologise to anyone who has been upset and/or offended, especially the families of the artists," they said in a statement.

"We are huge fans of their music and it was not our intention to disrespect these cultural icons in any way."

The unauthorised use of the images sparked Sharon Osbourne, wife of rocker Ozzy, to tweet: "Girls, you haven't earned the right to put your face with musical icons. Stick to what you know... lip gloss."

Notorious B.I.G.'s mum Voletta Wallace posted on Instagram that the T-shirt move was "exploitation at its worst".

He was killed in a shooting in Los Angeles in 1997.

REUTERS