Music’s Stalkers, Stans and Fans Part 2

Infamous musician stalking stories, 10 ways to protect yourself, and more

If you haven’t already read Part 1 of this two-part series, start here.

In Part 1, we covered stalking stats for the U.S. population, definitions of fans v. stans v. stalkers, and how stalkers are categorized.

In This Issue

• Stan culture and Fandom

• Famous musicians’ real stalking stories

• How to protect yourself from a stalker (paid)

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Music’s Stalkers, Stans and Fans Part 2

Researchers agree that technology has changed the game when it comes to celebrity devotion. New terms, new laws, and new ways to protect yourself appear as tech is used to bring fans and celebs together in what is clinically a “parasocial relationship” (see Part 1).

If you think you are being harassed or have a stalker, get help immediately:

Victim Connect: 1-855-4VICTIM(1-855-484-2846)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224 En Español

The National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

Question: What is the current state of Stan Culture/Fandoms?

Twenty years ago, “Stan Culture” wasn’t a thing in fandom, but it’s now rampant and even considered a badge of honor in the entertainment industry. Listen to NPR’s “All Songs Considered” podcast talks the history, peaks and pitfalls of stan culture.

Mix tribalism with 24/7 easy-access congregators like social media and sprinkle in the official celebrity blessing by way of a collective term of endearment, and extremism can flourish. Fandom community names you’ll recognize:

Bey Hive (Beyoncé)
Little Monsters (Lady Gaga)
Swiftees (Taylor Swift)
Deadheads (Grateful Dead)
Parrotheads (Jimmy Buffett)
Stans (Eminem, do they need to change this now that it’s a broader term?)
KISS Army (Kiss)
Rihanna Navy (Rihanna)

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift each have over 300MM followers on social media. These and similar collectives work hard to push their idol to the top of Spotify charts, radio playlists, and news cycles. They can influence their idols’ creative decisions. They inspire fashion trends, rituals like bracelet or tape exchanges, and can provide a sense of safety and belonging for community members. That’s the bright side.

It can get dark as we mentioned in the Part 1 article that groups of stans are more accepting of harassment and stalker behaviors. This is mob mentality or “groupthink” in action. William A. Whyte, Jr. coined the term “groupthink” in 1958, which is derived from “doublethink” from George Orwell’s dystopian classic Nineteen Eighty-Four. Whyte’s definition of groupthink was a rationalization of conformity that allowed groups to believe that their poor decisions were both practical and moral (source).

Question: Which famous musicians have had stalkers?

Studies found that boredom, in particular, incites celebrity stalking. Of course, that can turn into anger and sometimes violence (especially when mental illness is involved) when the object of affection does not reciprocate attention. This parasocial relationship is covered in Part 1.

What are stalking rates for celebrities compared to nonpublic figures? I couldn’t find a study that researched a random sample of celebs that asked how many have had a stalker. Yet, we can safely assume that their rates are exponentially higher than the rates mentioned in Part 1 for non celebs given their constant exposure in the media. (This would be a great case study for the Recording Academy to take on for musicians in particular.)

Hundreds of cases are documented, but these are a few of the most notable stalking victims in music industry history:

John Lennon. In 1980, Mark Chapman shot and killed the ex-Beatle outside of his apartment shortly after Lennon autographed an LP cover for him. This tragedy shook the music industry worldwide and is probably the most covered stalking crime in music history. Chapman is serving a life sentence and has been denied parole 13 times.

Inside Edition aired a segment about everything that happened that way.

Miranda Cosgrove. In 2016, a stalker lit himself on fire and shot himself on her front lawn after shooting another woman nearby who looked like Cosgrove. She was not home at the time, having decided to stay at her parents’ house that night.

Selena. This Latina sensation was murdered by the president of her fan club in 1995 when confronting the stan about embezzling money from the fan club. Yolanda Saldivar was imprisoned and is up for parole in 2025. Netflix aired a two-part series about Selena’s life and death.

George Harrison. Yet another ex-Beatle suffered at the hands of a stalker. Harrison was stabbed 40 times after the stalker broke into his house. Harrison’s wife fought off the man until the police arrived to arrest him. He served 19 months in a psych hospital. The Harrisons both made a full recovery.

Madonna. Madge’s security guards shot and killed a stalker who had escaped a mental institution and jumped the fence onto her property. Why was he institutionalized? For stalking Madonna.

Taylor Swift. At least two men have been arrested; one of whom sent death threats to her family in 2015, and another who tried breaking into her New York home three times within five days in 2024. Additionally, “The threats on her life have become so persistent that her security team installed facial recognition software at the venues she performs in to specifically distinguish her stalkers from her fans,” Jake Brennan, host of the “Disgraceland”podcast, said in a January 2022 episode.

Christina Grimmie. After rising to fame on The Voice, an obsessed stalker shot and killed her her during a post-concert meet and greet in 2016. He then shot himself.

Britney Spears. In 2023, Spears’s ex-husband live-streamed himself trying to gain access her wedding. A restraining order was issued. Another man who had a restraining order against him tried to sue Spears when her body guards pointed a gun at him outside of her home. The case was dismissed.

Selena Gomez. Multiple stalking occurrences have been reported, one man even called the police on his own to request a restraining order claiming he had “over 50 conversations with God a day” about killing her. Another broke into her home multiple times before being arrested. She has since moved to a new house.

Jennifer Lopez. A bold stalker broke into her guest house and stayed there for a week before being arrested. He claimed to be her ex-husband and father of her children. He was sent for psychiatric evaluation.

Justin Bieber. A man and his nephew were arrested for a “hire-to-castrate” plot (with garden shears!) under the direction of a prison inmate named Dana Martin. Martin claimed to love Bieber and felt snubbed when JB didn’t return messages. He was already serving two consecutive life sentences for raping and killing a 15-year-old girl.

Have you been harassed by a fan>stan>stalker? Please share your experience in the comments.

10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Stalkers

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