30th Anniversary of John Lennon's Death by Mark David Chapman is Grim Reminder of Other Celebrity Murders

Dec. 8, 2010, marked the 30-year anniversary of the murder of rock legend John Lennon by the hand of his obsessed fan and assassin, Mark David Chapman. According to the biographical site Who2, Chapman was a former Hawaii security guard who traveled to New York City with the intention of killing Lennon. In an interview with Daily News, JJ Helland writes that Chapman spoke of his reason for killing John Lennon:

"I just saw his face and it seemed like it all came together, the solution to my problem of being confused and feeling like a nobody," he said. "And I said, 'Wouldn't it be something if I killed this individual?' I would become famous, I would be something other than a nobody."

Sentenced to twenty years to life in prison for the murder, Mark David Chapman has been repeatedly denied parole and remains to this day in prison in New York. John Lennon's murder at the hands of a person who was seeking infamy in order to boost his self-image brings to light a growing phenomenon in American culture -- the efforts that some outcasts of society will go to achieve fame.

Sharon Tate Murdered by Charles Manson and Manson "Family"

Murdered in 1969 by the infamous Charles Manson and his followers, actress Sharon Tate was 8 ½ months pregnant at the time, according to the New York Daily News. It was a crime that horrified Hollywood and the nation because of its severity, senselessness, and sheer brutality. In addition to Tate, four other friends were murdered in her and husband Roman Polanski's home. It was an act of barbarism against a prominent Hollywood family meant to inspire terror among Hollywood's elite. Manson remains in prison in California.

Rebecca Schaeffer Shot by Robert Bardo

In another case of an obsessed fan killing the object of his attention, Robert Bardo murdered actress Rebecca Schaeffer on July 18, 1989, outside her Hollywood apartment. Her IMDb biography by Minerva Breanne Maybridge describes Bardo as someone suffering from paranoia and schizophrenia, who gunned Schaeffer down after she signed an autograph and then told him she was busy. He later attempted suicide by walking into traffic, but was captured by police and plea-bargained for life in prison. Bardo's act was another in a growing trend of star murders by obsessed fans.

Selena Murdered by Head of Own Fan Club

Selena was another rising star shot dead by an obsessed fan on March 31, 1995. This time, the obsessed fan was the former head of the Tejano-style music star's fan club. Yolanda Salivar was reportedly fired from Selena's family clothing store after money was found to be missing, according to Sam Verhovek of the New York Times, and the dispute led to the shooting of Selena in a Corpus Christie, Texas, motel, her brief career cut short by an assassin's bullet.

Lessons to be Learned

For celebrities who live their lives in the spotlight, these are frightening stories of fans who go too far. Many are instances in which some with mental illnesses pick celebrities as easy targets because they are familiar with them on television or have obsessed over them. In this day and age, when everyone is looking for their 15 minutes of fame and people will humiliate themselves on television in front of a national audience in order to gain that fame, murdering someone famous can be a tiny jump further in that direction for a few wayward souls. Celebrities and indeed anyone who has had media attention on them can better protect themselves by being careful with supposed fans and maintaining privacy regarding their personal lives.

Peter Gould, writing for the BBC, is even more specific, saying that celebrities and media personalities should be careful of fans sending both angry letters and those professing love, and should never return gifts or flowers to the sender. Instead, they should be kept for the police. It's a shame, but for some people, fandom leads to obsession, and ends in murder.

Sources:

Who2. (2010). Biography on Mark David Chapman.
New York Daily News. (2009). Celebrity Murders That Shocked the World.
Hellan, JJ. (2010). Mark David Chapman: Inside the Mind of John Lennon's Killer. AOL News.
Maybridge, Minerva Breanne. (2010). Mini Biography of Rebecca Schaeffer. IMDb.
Verhovek, Sam. (1995). Grammy Winning Singer Selena Killed at Shooting at Texas Motel. The New York Times.
Gould, Peter. (2001). Lonely Fans Who Target Celebrities. BBC News.