Tupac Shakur, the rap icon who was murdered in 1996, materialized on the Coachella 2012 stage in a live performance synched with Snoop Dogg. Nick Smith, president of the San Diego company AV Concepts that created the hologram, worked with rapper and producer Dr. Dre to accurately recreate Tupac with hologram technology. The effort is estimated to have cost between $100,000 and $400,000 and took took almost four months to complete. Nick Smith is not allowed to disclose the creative technology behind how the hologram was able to mimic Tupac's vocals or perform in synch with Snoop Dogg. Nick Smith, however, did say that his company can take the likeness and voice of performers, even those that have never performed, and digitally recreate it. AV has performed similar hologram feats with Madonna and holographic members of the Gorillaz at the 2005 Grammy Awards, as well as holograms in Black Eyed Peas and Celine Dion performances.