Sweet pie of mine! Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose is unrecognisable after piling on the pounds



He was once a pin-up for millions of rock and roll fans throughout the world.

But it seems Axl Rose's poster boy days are over, judging by photographs of the 49-year-old singer performing with the band in Brazil last night.

The Guns N' Roses frontman was unrecognisable as he took to the stage at the Rock In Rio music festival, with his attempts to cover up his larger frame in a coat failing miserably.

What happened? A significantly larger Axl Rose was unrecongisable as he performed with Guns N' Roses in Rio, Brazil, last night



Changing figure: Axl's new look is a far cry from his slimline figure at the height of his fame



Rose appeared to have gained a significant amount of weight in recent months, with his slimline frame at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards a distant memory.

The rocker teamed his yellow coat with a black hat and sunglasses, with the whole ensemble contributing to his bizarre appearance.

It's not the first time Rose's weight has sparked concern, as he previously shocked fans with his overweight look in January 2010.

Belting it out: The group performed songs including Sweet Child of Mine and Welcome To The Jungle at the Rock In Rio festival



His size also led to him being labelled a 'fat Botox-faced wig wearer' by rival rocker Scott Weiland.

But his weight gain appears to have continued over the past year and a half, with Rose looking entirely different as he performed in Brazil.

Gearing up for the performance, Rose told eager fans he was concerned that the pouring rain would make the stage treacherous for the concert.

He said: 'Good evening… good morning! Please bear with us and give us a little second here to figure out what to do about not falling on our asses.

Back in the day: Axl (centre) with Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Duff McKagan and Slash

'I'm going to try to focus on singing rather than running around like an idiot. I'm better at being an idiot. We want everybody to be careful.'

The group then delighted fans with tracks including Sweet Child of Mine, Live and Let Die and Welcome to the Jungle.

The band's performance was their first since last December, and came ahead of the Guns N' Roses' US tour which begins later this month.