Toxic fandom can have devastating consequences, as these tragic stories illustrate. Here are some well-known public figures who were killed by fans or obsessed stalkers:
1. **John Lennon** - The former Beatle was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman in 1980. Chapman's obsession with Lennon led him to commit the heinous act, shocking the world.
2. **Selena Quintanilla-Pérez** - The beloved Tejano singer was killed by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club, in 1995. Saldívar's obsession with Selena turned deadly when her financial mismanagement was exposed.
3. **Rebecca Schaeffer** - The young actress, known for her role in the sitcom "My Sister Sam," was murdered by Robert John Bardo, a fan who had been stalking her for three years. Schaeffer's death in 1989 led to stricter stalking laws in California.
4. **Dimebag Darrell** - The guitarist for Pantera was shot and killed on stage by Nathan Gale, a deranged fan, in 2004. Gale's obsession with the band turned violent in a tragic and public manner.
5. **Christina Grimmie** - The singer and former contestant on "The Voice" was shot and killed by Kevin James Loibl during a meet-and-greet in 2016. Loibl was an obsessed fan who traveled to Orlando to commit the murder.
6. **Jill Dando** - The British television presenter was shot and killed outside her home in 1999. While Barry George was initially convicted, he was later acquitted, leaving the case officially unsolved but highlighting the potential threat posed by obsessed fans.
7. **Jesse James** - The infamous outlaw was killed by Robert Ford, a member of his own gang, in 1882. Ford was both a fan and a betrayer, driven by the promise of a reward and fame.
Toxic fandom is a serious issue that can escalate into dangerous and deadly situations. The idolization of celebrities can sometimes blur the line between admiration and obsession, leading to tragic outcomes. What are your thoughts on toxic fandom and its impact on both celebrities and society? Let us know in the comments.
1. **John Lennon** - The former Beatle was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman in 1980. Chapman's obsession with Lennon led him to commit the heinous act, shocking the world.
2. **Selena Quintanilla-Pérez** - The beloved Tejano singer was killed by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club, in 1995. Saldívar's obsession with Selena turned deadly when her financial mismanagement was exposed.
3. **Rebecca Schaeffer** - The young actress, known for her role in the sitcom "My Sister Sam," was murdered by Robert John Bardo, a fan who had been stalking her for three years. Schaeffer's death in 1989 led to stricter stalking laws in California.
4. **Dimebag Darrell** - The guitarist for Pantera was shot and killed on stage by Nathan Gale, a deranged fan, in 2004. Gale's obsession with the band turned violent in a tragic and public manner.
5. **Christina Grimmie** - The singer and former contestant on "The Voice" was shot and killed by Kevin James Loibl during a meet-and-greet in 2016. Loibl was an obsessed fan who traveled to Orlando to commit the murder.
6. **Jill Dando** - The British television presenter was shot and killed outside her home in 1999. While Barry George was initially convicted, he was later acquitted, leaving the case officially unsolved but highlighting the potential threat posed by obsessed fans.
7. **Jesse James** - The infamous outlaw was killed by Robert Ford, a member of his own gang, in 1882. Ford was both a fan and a betrayer, driven by the promise of a reward and fame.
Toxic fandom is a serious issue that can escalate into dangerous and deadly situations. The idolization of celebrities can sometimes blur the line between admiration and obsession, leading to tragic outcomes. What are your thoughts on toxic fandom and its impact on both celebrities and society? Let us know in the comments.
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PeopleTranscript
00:00After the game, Andrés Cuaderno gave his famous phrase that we all remember today.
00:07Life goes on and life is not over.
00:10Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at 10 times celebrities were murdered by fans.
00:16I have an obsession with the unattainable.
00:20And I need to destroy that which I cannot obtain.
00:25For this list, we'll be looking at cases in which well-known public figures were killed by fans and obsessed stalkers.
00:32What do you think about toxic fandom? Let us know in the comments.
00:37Jesse James
00:39A confederate sympathizer during the American Civil War, Jesse James later found national recognition as an outlaw who robbed trains and banks.
00:49That's it, boys. These all for me?
00:55Looks like Christmas morning in here.
00:57Stories of his crimes spread from coast to coast, eventually reaching a young man from Missouri named Robert Ford.
01:03Ford met James when he was 18 and joined the diminishing James Younger gang.
01:09I can't believe I woke up this morning wondering if my daddy would loan me his overcoat.
01:14And here it is just past midnight. I've already robbed a railroad train.
01:18I'm sitting in a rocking chair chatting with none other than Jesse James.
01:22However, Ford was eventually swayed by the $10,000 bounty that had been placed on James,
01:27and Governor Thomas T. Crittenden offered Ford a full pardon if he betrayed his friend and mentor.
01:34So he did just that on April 3rd, 1882.
01:38As James was dusting a picture, Ford shot him in the back of the head.
01:45Michael Lermontov
01:52This famous and influential Russian author was a leading writer in the Romantic movement.
01:57While Lermontov is mostly remembered for his poetry, he was also a successful prose writer and painter.
02:03My magnum opus, Borik. Everybody has one novel in them, and this is mine.
02:08In 1841, Lermontov visited the city of Pitigorsk and basked in his success.
02:14While there, he met his old school friend and admirer of his work, Nikolai Martinov.
02:20Martinov even dressed and acted like one of Lermontov's characters, and Lermontov teased him in response.
02:26I have never in all my campaigns encountered such insolence!
02:31The teasing got so bad that Martinov challenged Lermontov to a duel.
02:36He emerged successful and killed Lermontov on July 27th, 1841.
02:44Rebecca Schaefer
02:46A popular TV actress of the 80s, Rebecca Schaefer starred in the CBS sitcom My Sister Sam, which ran for two seasons from 1986 to 88.
02:56Brandon asked you out on a date?
02:59Yeah.
03:00Sam, that's hysterical!
03:02It is?
03:03I mean, I can't believe you actually thought he asked you out.
03:06Her work in the show attracted the attention of a 19-year-old fan named Robert John Bardo.
03:11Obsessed, Bardo began stalking Schaefer and writing her numerous letters.
03:16She responded to one of them by saying,
03:20Yours was one of the nicest that I got.
03:24In Bardo's mind, this letter in this picture confirms for him what he had been believing or hoping, that she reciprocates these feelings for him.
03:35After Schaefer appeared in bed with another actor in the movie Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills,
03:40Bardo grew jealous and tracked Schaefer to her apartment using a detective agency.
03:45Schaefer was visibly displeased and asked him not to come to her home.
03:50After breakfasting at a nearby diner, Bardo returned anyway and shot her when she answered the door.
03:56She was just 21 years old.
03:58Mr. Bardo stated,
03:59I forgot to give you something.
04:01Withdrew a handgun from his waistband and shot her once in the chest.
04:06This soccer player from Cameroon played professionally from 2008 to 2014, and his death is shrouded in mystery.
04:14On August 23, 2014, Bojungo was playing a home game with J.S. Kabili.
04:20The team lost, so the home team fans were irate.
04:34As Bojungo was leaving the field, he was reportedly struck in the head by a projectile thrown from the stands.
04:40Bojungo suffered a traumatic brain injury and died just a few hours later.
04:45A 24-year-old who played for J.S. Kabili died after being hit by an object thrown from the stands while his side was losing at home.
04:54He was announced dead after being taken to hospital.
04:58This was the official story provided by Algerian authorities.
05:01However, a Cameroonian pathologist named Andre Moon later told the BBC that Bojungo's injuries suggested he'd been beaten.
05:09Regardless, no one was ever charged for his death.
05:25Andres Escobar
05:26Perhaps the most famous soccer player in Colombia's history, Andres Escobar was a great athlete and worked hard to promote a positive image of his country.
05:40Unfortunately, one simple mistake cost Escobar his life.
05:46During the 1994 World Cup, Colombia was playing against the United States when Escobar accidentally scored on his own net, which cost Colombia the game.
05:55A few days later, Escobar visited a nightclub in Medellín, where he was shot and killed in the parking lot.
06:02The assailant, Humberto Castro Muñoz, was a drug cartel bodyguard and driver.
06:08Escobar may have been killed on the orders of Santiago Gayón, who had gambled on the game and lost big.
06:14His nation mourned. More than 120,000 people attended Escobar's funeral.
06:19Gianni Versace
06:21The link between fashion designer Gianni Versace and spree killer Andrew Cunanan is debated.
06:27In 1997, Andrew Cunanan sent authorities on a frantic cross-country manhunt as he drove state to state, killing four people along the way, ultimately arriving at Gianni Versace's doorstep in Miami.
06:41Maureen Orth of Vanity Fair and various FBI agents claim that Versace and Cunanan met at a San Francisco nightclub back in 1990.
06:50However, Versace's family remains adamant that the fashion icon never met Cunanan in person.
06:56He also claims that Cunanan often named-dropped Versace, proving some type of fandom, or at least a dangerous obsession.
07:04On July 15, 1997, Cunanan shot and killed Versace outside of his Miami mansion.
07:10It was 8.45 in the morning. He was walking home, alone, from the famous South Beach News Café.
07:17Journalist Maureen Orth
07:19He just very boldly crossed the street, walked up right behind him, and shot him in the head.
07:24His true motive remains a mystery, although some have theorized that he did it for publicity.
07:29Christina Grimmie
07:31This American singer rose to internet fame uploading cover songs to YouTube and eventually found success on the sixth season of The Voice.
07:38I came in like a wrecking ball, I never hit so hard in love.
07:45She finished in third place and signed with Island Records.
07:49Grimmie eventually caught the attention of a man named Kevin James Loible, who developed an unhealthy fascination.
07:55He traveled from St. Petersburg, Florida to Orlando as Grimmie was performing at the Plaza Live.
08:00Grimmie was opening for the band Before You Exit in Orlando, Florida, posting a call-out on social media before the show.
08:08Please come to the show if you live near Orlando, Florida.
08:11After the performance, Grimmie was signing autographs when she was shot by Loible, who took his own life shortly after.
08:18Grimmie was rushed to the hospital, but pronounced dead half an hour after the shooting.
08:23Following the news of her death, some of music's biggest stars finding ways to remember their friend.
08:29Dimebag Daryl
08:30Daryl Lance Abbott was the famous guitarist of iconic heavy metal band Pantera.
08:35The band saw great success in the mid-90s, with their album Far Beyond Driven reaching number one in the United States.
08:48He also played for the lesser-known Damage Plan.
08:51Y'all are number one. We're back with the Damage Plan to blow it up everywhere.
08:56While performing with his band on December 8, 2004, Abbott was shot by a fan named Nathan Gale.
09:02Gale shot several others too, killing three and injuring a further three, before being killed by a police officer.
09:09When a gunman rushed the stage and shot him several times, three people, not including the gunman, died in the shooting.
09:17The gunman was killed by police.
09:19Abbott was pronounced dead at the scene, and Gale's motive still remains uncertain.
09:24Selena
09:25An iconic Latin artist, Selena saw enormous success in the United States.
09:31In fact, her posthumous album, Dreaming of You, is the highest-selling Latin album in American history as of 2022, having sold three million copies.
09:40I could fall in love with you
09:49Her work reached the ears of Yolanda Saldívar, who began a Selena fan club that eventually reached 5,000 members.
09:56She later became the manager of Selena's beauty boutique and salon business, Selena Etc.
10:01However, Saldívar used both to embezzle tens of thousands of dollars.
10:05In March, both he and Selena confronted Saldívar.
10:09My last words with her was that I was going to go to the police to see what we could do, you know, to charge her with something. She was stealing money.
10:20This put a strain on Selena and Saldívar's friendship and business agreement.
10:24On March 31, 1995, Selena met with Saldívar at a day's inn, and Saldívar shot Selena in the shoulder.
10:32The bullet severed Selena's subclavian artery, and she tragically died of blood loss.
10:37Her whole world was walking out the door, and she wouldn't stand for it, so she shot her.
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10:57John Lennon
10:58Although a longtime fan of the Beatles, Mark David Chapman became enraged at what he saw as blasphemous statements made by singer John Lennon.
11:07I'm not saying that we're better or greater or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is.
11:14You know, I just said what I said, and it was wrong or was taken wrong, and now it's all this.
11:19Chapman had become a born-again Presbyterian in 1971.
11:23He also developed an obsession with The Catcher in the Rye and wished to emulate its protagonist Holden Caulfield by acting out against supposed phoniness.
11:32I was probably angered at his phoniness.
11:36I mean, I wasn't fuming, but I was saying what a fake he was, what a phony he was.
11:42Then I thought to myself that I was going to kill John Lennon.
11:46After traveling to New York, Chapman loitered outside Lennon's apartment complex on December 8th, 1980.
11:52He got Lennon's signature as he exited the complex, but when Lennon returned hours later, Chapman shot him from behind four times.
12:01He walked past me. I took five steps toward the street, turned, withdrew my charter arms, 38, and fired five shots into his back.
12:17Chapman spent the rest of his life behind bars and, as of 2022, has been denied parole 11 times.
12:30.