All celebrities have their fans. And some of them are not just passionate, but literally obsessed with their idol. Sometimes these feelings become fatal as fans get mad at the same person they admire.
Our selection contains tragic stories of celebrities who were killed by their loyal fans.
7. Jesse James
This criminal became one of America's most famous folk heroes. At a young age, James was a member of the Confederate army. But when the American Civil War ended, Jesse did not want to return to a peaceful life. Together with his brother Frank, he formed a gang that became known as the James gang.
Jesse's adventures were romanticized by the American public, making him the American counterpart of Robin Hood.
Robert "Bob" Ford was a fan of Jesse and soon met his idol. After a failed robbery, James's gang needed recruits, and Robert and his brother Charles joined them. The Ford brothers allegedly participated in only one train robbery.
One day, Robert fell into the hands of the police, and the authorities offered him a deal: a complete pardon for the crimes committed and a reward for catching Jesse James alive or dead.
Robert returned to Jesse James's gang and shot the famous gunman in the back. The Ford brothers were arrested, found guilty, sentenced to be hanged and pardoned on the same day.
6. Darrell Abbott
The famous guitarist, known to fans and friends as "Dimebag", was shot and killed by his fan on stage during a concert.
Nathan Gale, a 25-year-old former Marine, suffered from schizophrenia. He was obsessed with the Pantera music group, which Darrell had previously played in, and blamed Abbott for its breakup.
When Darrell began his performance, Nathan shot him six times at point-blank range. Some eyewitnesses claimed that he shouted "you broke up with the Panther" before firing. He then began shooting into the crowd, killing at least two people. As a result, Gail was shot and killed by a police officer who later received the title of the best police officer of 2005 from the National Arms Association for his actions.
5. Rebecca Schaeffer
Young, beautiful Rebecca was one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood in the late 80s of the twentieth century. She was killed by Robert John Bardot, who became a fan of Rebecca after watching the TV series My Sister Sam. He began to write letters to her, and she answered them.
When Bardot saw the last movie with Rebecca, where she appeared in a sex scene with another man, he was furious. He paid a private investigator $ 250 to find the actress's address and killed her after a short conversation.
4. Selena Quintanilla-Perez
The singer, songwriter, actress, model and fashion designer, dubbed the "Tehano Madonna", was shot by the president of one of her fan clubs.
Selena's popularity was huge in Mexico, and her fan base in America grew steadily. With her striking looks, unique sense of style and vocal talent, 23-year-old Selena has been on her way to becoming an international superstar.
The woman who pulled the trigger was called Yolanda Saldivar. She was a friend and one of Selena's biggest fans.
Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, told reporters that Yolanda was fired from the family boutique three weeks before the murder. There was not enough money in the store, and Selena demanded that some financial documents be returned. The women agreed to meet at a motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, where Yolanda shot Selena.
Selena's posthumous album Dreaming of You (1995) debuted at # 1 in the Billboard Magazine's Top 200 Best Music Albums. None of the Latin American artists previously managed to accomplish this feat.
3. Andres Escobar
Everyone knows how emotionally football fans can react to both victories and losses of their favorite team. They are literally ready to kill some players, as happened with the captain and defender of the Colombian national team Andres Escobar.
During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he accidentally scored a goal into his own goal, which caused the Colombian national team to lose to the United States and dropped out of the World Cup.
Ten days later, Andrés was shot by Umberto Muñoz, who fired 6 bullets at the player and shouted "Goal!" After each shot.
2. Christina Grimmy
The wonderful voice of young Christina secured her a place in the sixth season of the American show The Voice (analogous to the Russian show “The Voice”). She has amassed a large following on YouTube, releasing covers of popular songs by Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and other artists.
After performing at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Cristina was shot dead while signing autographs. The killer, Kevin James Loibl, according to his only friend Corey Dennington, could watch Grimm's YouTube videos for hours and follow her on social media. He underwent eye surgery, implanted hair, bleached his teeth and lost weight for Grimmy.
No one knows exactly why Loibl decided to kill his idol if he was so infatuated with her. He probably realized that she would never reciprocate.
1. John Lennon
The name John Lennon comes to mind first when it comes to fan killings of celebrities.
The world was shocked when John Lennon, one of the members of the cult band The Beatles, was gunned down on December 8, 1980. On that day, the musician was returning from the recording studio with his wife Yoko Ono. When he got out of his limousine, the killer Mark David Chapman shot him several times in the back.
Lennon was taken to Roosevelt Hospital in a police car, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Chapman was an obsessive Beatles fan. He even asked Lennon to sign the cover of the Double Fantasy album a few hours before he was killed.
Champen explained Lennon's murder with his desire to assert himself and attract public attention.