HOLLYWOOD—Social media is so available these days, with its all-time access that celebrities really have to be aware of their surroundings. Celebrities seem more accessible than ever. Even before the internet and all its accessibility, fans can seem very obsessive. According to published reports, back in April 2021, a stalker was arrested outside Taylor Swift’s New York City apartment building.
According to the police, the man stated: “She knows that I’m coming here, we’re friends.” “We don’t even want to know have might have happened if he had been allowed inside,” authorities stated. After a month later, actor and director Olivia Wilde was granted a three-year restraining order against a man who kept showing up at her home and leaving notes claiming that they were dating and that he was “struggling to stay sane,” according to published reports.
Whether it’s athletes, actors, musicians or any famous person, all unfortunately have the potential of being targeted by someone they don’t even know with a senseless act of violence. The so called devotion and admiration can quickly and easily turn dangerous, and for the celebrities, they ultimately pay the cost for that with their lives. Who could forget the late Beatle, John Lennon, he was a musical genius, who was wise beyond his years.
On that tragic day of December 8, 1980, 40-year-old John Lennon-was shot five times in the back outside his Manhattan apartment building by former Beatles fan Mark David Chapman. You may ask yourself, Why? Chapman throughout the years, has given many conflicting reasons as to why he killed Lennon, such as seeking fame, as well as his spiritual beliefs. In 2010, Chapman stated he had a hit list that included Paul McCartney, Elizabeth Taylor, and late-night legend Johnny Carson, but chose Lennon “out of convenience.” He also expressed hatred of Lennon’s hit “Imagine,” which he believed made the iconic musician a Communist and a hypocrite. Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison and was denied parole for the 11th time in 2020.
Who could forget “Selena” known as the Queen of Tex-Mex. Latina singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez was set to crossover into pop superstardom with the release of her first English-language album, 1995’s “Dreaming of You.” Unfortunately, she would never see the fruit of her success. On March 31, 1995, Selena was lured to a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she was shot and killed by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar. She was only 23.
Saldivar, 32, then fled to her pickup truck in the motel’s parking lot, where she threatened suicide for 10 hours, before being arrested by authorities. Selena’s father stated that Saldivar had recently been fired from managing Selena’s boutique for embezzling funds. In 2012, Saldivar’s brother said she was carrying out her life sentence in solitary confinement due to her own safety.
Legendary fashion mogul, Gianni Versace on July 15, 1997, was walking back to his Miami mansion from a coffee run when he was shot twice in the back of the head by spree killer Andrew Cunanan. He was 50 years old. Cunanan, 27, claimed to have met the fashion icon in 1990 and bragged that the two were friends. Versace’s family denied these claims and law enforcement was unable to determine why Versace was targeted. The name behind the iconic fashion brand was the last victim of Cunanan’s cross-country murder spree, which claimed the lives of five men. Six days after Versace’s murder Cunanan’s body was found on a Miami houseboat, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Soccer player, Andres Escobar who played for Columbia, who was favored to win the World Cup on June 23, 1994, lost in a shocking 2-1 upset to the United States after Escobar, attempting to block a shot, kicked the ball into his team’s own net. About 10 days after the match, Escobar was partying with friends in Medellin, when three people began shouting insults at him-it quickly escalated into deadly violence. One shouted, “Thanks for the auto-goal,” and he died 45 minutes later after being shot 12 times. He was just 27 years old.
Rose’s Scoop: A birthday wish goes out to my daughter, Kelly Limoncelli, who celebrated her birthday on September 8. May all your wishes come true!
