Which Celebrities Shot Dead by Their Fans
Celebrities are often admired and loved by their fans, who support them and follow their careers. But sometimes, this admiration can turn into obsession, and some fans can become dangerous and violent. In this article, we will look at some of the tragic cases of celebrities who were shot dead by their fans, who claimed to be their biggest admirers. From music legends to rising stars, these are the stories of how fame and fandom can have fatal consequences.
Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer
She was born in Eugene, Oregon, on November 6, 1967, and went to Lincoln High School. She started modeling when she was 14 years old appearing in department store catalogs and TV commercials.
Robert Bardo has been obsessed with Rebecca since her starring role in the TV show “My Sister Sam.” He sent her numerous letters, and she responded to one of them. And showed up at the Warner Brothers studio a couple of times to meet Rebecca but was turned away by security each time. He stalked her for three years.
Robert became upset when he saw Rebecca in bed with another man in “Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills.” He hired a private investigator in Tucson, Arizona for $250 to track down where Rebecca lived. The private investigator used the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) records to find her condo.
Robert’s brother then helped him get a Ruger GP100, and he traveled to Los Angeles looking for Rebecca to kill her.
Death Tragedy
Robert showed up at the doorstep of Rebecca’s West Hollywood condo in the morning of July 18, 1989. She answered the door and told him she was busy and had to get ready. Robert showed her the letter he sent her and the letter she wrote back. She told him to go away and to leave her alone, so he left.
Robert went to a diner to have breakfast and came back an hour later. When Rebecca opened the door, he shot her in the chest at point-blank range in the doorway. He ran off and returned to Arizona where he lived.
Rebecca was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she died. She was 21 years old. She’s buried in Ahavai Sholom Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.
As a result of her death, the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act was enacted in 1994. It prevented the DMV from releasing private addresses. Her death also helped pass the US’ first anti-stalking law in 1990.
Rebecca Schaeffer from My Sister Sam is the main one to come to mind. She opened the door when he rang and he shot her. I believe she even had a restraining order against him already.
Dimebag Darrell Abbott
Dimebag Darrell Abbott was killed on stage by an obsessed fan in 2004.
In case you don’t know who he was, Darrell was the lead guitarist of Pantera. And one of the best metal guitarists of all time.
The assassin was a 24/25-year-old paranoid schizophrenic named Nathan Gale. He was obsessed with Pantera and was distraught by their recent breakup. They were practically the only band he listened to. Gale also believed Pantera had stolen lyrics from him.
Gale shot Dimebag on stage in Columbus, Ohio while he was performing with Damageplan, his first (and only) post-Pantera group. Vinnie Paul Abbott was also in the band and saw his younger brother murdered right in front of him.
Nathan was killed by a police officer that same night, but not before he took out 3 others and injured 2 more. As devoted as he was to Pantera, Gale’s actions made it certain they would never reunite.
Andy Warhol
On June 3, 1968, a woman with two guns and a lot of anger shot Andy Warhol in his belly. He had four big holes in his body.
They said he was dead. But doctors brought him back to life. He stayed in the hospital for two months and had four operations. He had to wear a tight belt around his stomach for the rest of his life. The shooting made Warhol very scared of hospitals.
That fear cost him his life on February 21, 1987. Andy Warhol had a heart attack right after surgery for his gallbladder. He had put off the surgery for a long time. Andy Warhol, the most famous artist in the U.S., was shot by a woman named Valerie Solanas. She was a radical feminist. Her bullet killed him 19 years later.
