These terrifying celebrity stalker tales will freak you out! Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the most terrifying and tragic examples of Celeb Lives Ruined By Stalkers.
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00:00 Stalking changes a victim's life.
00:02 It makes them give up any feelings of security because the stalker can show up at any time.
00:09 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most terrifying and
00:14 tragic examples of celeb lives ruined by stalkers.
00:18 Decades later, many celebrities are still targeted by stalkers.
00:22 But Rebecca's murder led to California passing the first anti-stalking law in the nation.
00:28 Selena Gomez In 2011, the young star had received death
00:33 threats from Thomas Brodnicki after he had confided to his therapist that he had conversations
00:38 with God about killing Gomez.
00:41 Brodnicki made multiple trips to Gomez's studio, insisted that he would not leave Los
00:46 Angeles until meeting her, and has a criminal history of stalking.
00:50 He had also traveled to Chicago and Los Angeles to attempt to make contact with her.
00:56 Understandably, she then filed a temporary restraining order against the man.
01:01 With the restraining order in effect, Gomez will continue her tour.
01:05 Great news for her fans, many of whom were supporting her yesterday.
01:09 We protect Selena was a trending topic on Twitter.
01:12 Stalking charges were brought to Brodnicki, but those were eventually dropped.
01:17 As a judge ruled, there wasn't enough evidence and he was released from custody.
01:21 Eventually, a three-year restraining order was placed on Brodnicki to stay at least 100
01:27 meters away from Gomez and her family.
01:37 Drew Barrymore The well-known actress and daytime talk show
01:42 host was on stage at an event in New York City where she was interviewing Renee Rapp
01:47 when suddenly a man named Chad Michael Bustow called out to Barrymore and proceeded towards
01:54 the stage.
02:00 He was stopped by security and the two women temporarily left the stage.
02:05 After this confrontation, Bustow was in the Hamptons looking for Barrymore's home where
02:10 he was arrested on stalking charges.
02:25 While speaking to reporters after being released, he claims that he and Barrymore have a connection
02:31 and was looking for help with regards to a legal action.
02:41 Taylor Swift Being one of the most popular artists on
02:45 the planet sometimes brings unwanted attention, and unfortunately for Swift, she's had multiple
02:51 stalkers throughout her career.
03:05 Just before she was set to play in Nashville, Mitchell Tabell was able to gain access to
03:10 her Nashville condo building and had made his way into the VIP section just before Swift
03:15 was set to take the stage before being escorted out of the venue.
03:32 He was later arrested on a number of charges.
03:35 Several years prior, another man, Eric Swarbrick, stalked the singer, showing up multiple times
03:41 to her record label's offices with threatening letters, and he was indicted on federal charges.
04:01 Sandra Bullock The award-winning actress has had a few terrifying
04:05 stalking incidents during her career, but the incident that occurred in 2014 was a particularly
04:11 harrowing experience.
04:17 In June, Joshua Corbett broke into Bullock's home early in the morning.
04:22 Upon seeing an intruder in her house, Bullock locked her bedroom door and hid in her closet.
04:28 She proceeded to call 911 and remained hidden there until police arrived and arrested Corbett.
04:39 He was carrying magazine pictures of Bullock and letters to her.
04:44 Corbett would plead no contest to stalking charges and would take his own life a few
04:48 years later during a standoff with police.
05:00 Lily Allen Shortly after the singer had released her
05:04 second album, she was contacted on Twitter by a man named Alex Gray, who claimed he wrote
05:10 her song "The Fear".
05:16 He would go on to send her a number of threatening letters and emails.
05:21 Eventually, he broke into her house, waking Allen in the middle of the night, screaming
05:25 at her and stealing a purse.
05:40 Following the frightening event, he was caught and arrested.
05:43 During the whole ordeal, Allen had commented on how the justice system and the police had
05:48 failed her, as for years her claims weren't taken seriously.
05:59 Jodie Foster John Hinckley Jr. developed an unhealthy devotion
06:03 to actress Jodie Foster after watching her performance in the film "Taxi Driver".
06:14 He would follow her trail as she moved around the country, and when he found that she would
06:24 be attending Yale University, he enrolled in a course at the school.
06:29 He attempted to contact her through mail and by telephone.
06:45 He decided he would need to perform a grand gesture to get her attention, which involved
06:50 attempting to assassinate newly elected President Ronald Reagan.
06:55 Hinckley managed to wound several people in the attempt.
07:10 Foster hasn't spoken much on the incident, saying that she doesn't want to be associated
07:15 with the event and that it was scarring.
07:18 George Harrison As one of the members of the Beatles, Harrison
07:23 was renowned for his guitar playing, something that carried over to his solo career after
07:27 the band broke up.
07:35 On December 30th, 1999, Michael Abram broke into Harrison's home.
07:40 He believed that Harrison was a sorcerer and was possessing him.
07:45 He was on a mission from gods to kill the former Beatle.
08:02 Armed with a knife, Abram attacked Harrison, stabbing him more than 40 times.
08:08 Olivia, Harrison's wife, managed to temporarily subdue Abram by hitting him with a fire poker
08:13 and a lamp before other staff could restrain the attacker.
08:30 Christina Grimmie She first garnered attention on YouTube, where
08:35 she would upload covers of popular songs.
08:45 She later appeared on The Voice, and while she didn't win the competition, it did raise
08:50 her profile as she signed with Island Records and began touring.
08:54 Just after a performance in Orlando, Florida, Grimmie was meeting fans when she was approached
08:59 by Kevin James Loible.
09:01 He had developed an unhealthy infatuation with the singer and, in their interaction,
09:06 he suddenly pulled out a gun and shot Grimmie three times.
09:12 Tragically, she died shortly after.
09:18 Loible would take his own life after being tackled by Christina's brother, Marcus.
09:30 Rebecca Schaefer Schaefer was an up-and-coming model and
09:34 actress who's best known for starring in the mid-80s sitcom, My Sister Sam.
09:41 However, during this time, Robert John Bardo had begun stalking the actress, even showing
09:54 up to the studios where My Sister Sam was filmed.
09:57 Bardo became enraged after viewing Schaefer's performance in scenes from The Class Struggle
10:03 in Beverly Hills, due to a scene where she appears in bed with another actor.
10:14 After finding her Hollywood address through a private investigator, Bardo showed up at
10:18 her home and, after a brief interaction, was told to leave.
10:23 He returned about an hour later and fatally shot Schaefer.
10:27 He was arrested, convicted of her murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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10:59 John Lennon The former Beatle was used to greeting fans
11:02 outside his New York residence, so when Mark David Chapman asked Lennon to sign a copy
11:08 of Double Fantasy, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
11:23 However, Chapman had developed feelings of resentment towards Lennon, whom he viewed
11:28 as a phony due to the music star's lavish lifestyle while singing about people having
11:33 no possessions on the song "Imagine".
11:46 He was also upset with Lennon's disbelief in God and his 1996 comment about the Beatles
11:51 being bigger than Jesus.
11:54 Chapman's obsession led him to fatally shoot Lennon on December 8, 1980, several hours
12:00 after getting his autograph.
12:12 Chapman was arrested and has since been imprisoned.
12:16 Which celebrity stalker story creeps you out the most?
12:19 Let us know in the comments.
12:45 (upbeat music)