Famous Celebrities With Terrifying Stalker Stories

We're all fascinated by celebrities. But if there's anything we've learned from Joe Goldberg from the Netflix stalking series "You," it's that obsession often compels one to walk dangerous roads. Actors, singers, and icons at large are forever in the public eye, attracting attention both wanted and unwanted. Many famous artists have faced stalking encounters over the years. Jack Levin, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University in Boston, has noted that celebrity stalkers fantasize about being in personal relationships with their idols: "Any small bit of sympathy, no matter how faint ... can inspire a stalker," ABC quoted him as saying. 

The murder of actor Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989 was a watershed case that highlighted celebrity stalking in Hollywood. The 21-year-old "My Sister Sam" sitcom star was shot dead by a stalker named Robert Bardo at her Los Angeles home (via Entertainment Weekly). The tragedy prompted a landmark anti-stalking legislation in California, which was notably America's first, and Bardo was given a life sentence. 

From Brad Pitt to Beyoncé, several A-listers have since dealt with fans who became a bit too friendly in uncomfortable or even terrifying ways.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Suave celebrity couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones once came within the purview of an alarming stalker situation that involved violent threats and unrequited love. In 2004, reports surfaced of Dawnette Knight hovering over the lives of the Oscar-winning pair, claiming that she was in love with Douglas and professing intent to hurt Zeta-Jones. According to the New York Post, Knight had sent letters to people close to Zeta-Jones between at least 2003 and 2004, with one particularly disturbing note talking about how she would like to "slice [Zeta-Jones] up like meat on a bone." She had allegedly been besotted with Douglas since his 1987 film "Fatal Attraction," per ABC News. 

Knight, aged 32 at the time, was charged with multiple felony counts related to stalking and threatening, reported the Los Angeles Times. Before an LA court, Zeta-Jones recounted her harrowing experience, likening the violent letters to terrorism. Douglas, who claimed he had once seen Knight in Vegas, told the court that her threats drove his wife to an "emotional breakdown." In 2005, Knight was sentenced to three years of prison (with credit for the 600 days she'd already served) and Zeta-Jones was granted a restraining order against the stalker. While Knight appeared apologetic, Zeta-Jones contended she was "evil" (via Today).  

In a chilling incident, Sandra Bullock and her stalker came face-to-face in the early hours of June 8, 2014. The "Miss Congeniality" star awoke to sounds inside her Bel-Air home and saw an unidentified man inside, when she promptly shut herself in her bedroom and dialed 911 (via The Seattle Times). Joshua James Corbett, who was consequently arrested, believed himself to be Bullock's husband, per notes and letters procured from the 39-year-old man. TMZ reported that Corbett had with him cutouts of the Oscar-winning actor and a written note that read: "I will forever be thinking of you and Louie [the name of Bullock's son is Louis], my son, as you are my wife by law, the law of God, and you belong to me and me to you."

Corbett had reportedly been keeping tabs on Bullock's movements in the days prior to the break-in. Authorities found several firearms during their search of Corbett's house, and he was charged with 26 offenses (via Case Law). Corbett was convicted in 2017, put on probation, and assigned to mental treatment, per USA Today. In 2018, it was reported that Corbett killed himself at his California home after cops approached him with a search warrant linked to the original stalking case. 

Appearing on Red Table Talk in 2021, Bullock said that she "wasn't the same" after the 2014 shock. 

To the horror of Justin Bieber fans everywhere, reports surfaced in 2012 of police unearthing a murder plot against the "Baby" hitmaker. The insidious plan was apparently hatched in prison by a convicted killer named Dana Martin, who convinced his former fellow inmate and the latter's nephew to carry out the crime, reported The Guardian. The perpetrators, who intended to travel from New Mexico to New York City in pursuit of Bieber, also had on their hit list the names of two others they would allegedly castrate and kill. According to CNN, the men were apprehended by U.S. officials at the Canadian border, which led to the revelation of their shocking agenda. Weapons, including pruning shears, were procured from the men (via The Hollywood Reporter). 

Bieber, then 18, was identified as the conspirators' "ultimate target," according to an affidavit in the case, reported CNN. The plot's mastermind Martin, who flaunted a tattoo of Bieber on his leg, was allegedly upset that the singer had not responded to his letters. That, coupled with his "perception of being a 'nobody' in prison" — per the affidavit, via CNN — prompted him to conspire against the pop icon.

The incomparable Beyoncé, who has 28 Grammy wins to her name, had a stalker who accused her of being an imposter. Bassey Essien from Britain was under the impression that the "Single Ladies" singer had killed the real Beyoncé and taken her place (via the Mirror). He reportedly met the star in 2009 and tried to hand her a book of his religious writings, and had also sent her threatening messages. According to court documents, the man claimed he had dreamt Beyoncé was in danger and was only trying to help. In 2011, a U.K. court ruled in favor of Beyoncé, ordering her harasser to refrain from contacting her or the people around her. "There's a lot more to this than meets the eye," Essien was quoted as saying. 

When Queen Bey was due to perform at Twickenham Stadium in London in 2013, it was reported that security was amped up due to persisting fears of Essien (via the Daily Mail). A source told the British tabloid The Sun that "it is believed similar letters to the ones that Essien sent have been received." Staffers were told to keep their eyes peeled for Essien, whose pictures were reportedly circulated among the security team.

Lana Del Rey was the target of an alleged kidnapping plot in 2018, with a man threatening her before she was due to perform in Orlando. ABC News reported that 43-year-old career criminal Michael Hunt had shared a series of social media posts between January and February that prompted safety concerns for Rey. Police reportedly found tickets to Rey's concert and a knife among his possessions. In a tweet on February 4, 2018, Orlando police announced they had arrested Hunt for "aggravated stalking."

Hunt was captured by police near the concert venue, reported the Orlando Sentinel. Social media posts reportedly attributed to Hunt reflected his infatuation with Rey; one such post made before the show read: "I want to see my queen on Friday and from that day forward our decisions will be as one." In court, he insisted he only wanted to deliver paintings to Rey (via the Tampa Bay Times). By then, Hunt had served five prison terms and was last released from prison in 2014.

Like his fellow A-listers, Leonardo DiCaprio has had his share of stalker encounters. A notable example was in 2010, when a woman named Livia Bistriceanu alleged that she was DiCaprio's wife and was expecting his child. Bistriceanu reportedly traveled all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles and tried to contact the "Titanic" actor many times (via CBS News). Bistriceanu, 41, even showed up in the vicinity of his home and office.

In one handwritten letter for DiCaprio, as presented in court, Bistriceanu mentioned, "You wrote to me two years ago that you love me and you don't love another woman" (via TMZ). In another, she reportedly wrote, "Do you want to be with me for real and to be the father of Jesus?" Jesus, per court filings, is the name Bistriceanu used to refer to the child she claimed she was carrying. The Oscar awardee secured a restraining order against Bistriceanu through an LA court, saying that he was "frightened" of her and that she was jeopardizing his safety.

John Lennon's encounter with his stalker is among the most notoriously legendary stories of all time. One-quarter of the iconic English rock band the Beatles, 40-year-old Lennon was shot dead outside his apartment building in Manhattan on the night of December 8, 1980, by Mark David Chapman, a tragedy that sent shockwaves across the world. 

A few hours before he killed the musician, Chapman had stopped Lennon for an autograph — and there is even a chilling photo of their meeting (via Daily Mail). Lennon was later returning home with his wife, Yoko Ono, when Chapman approached him and said, "Mr. Lennon?" before releasing multiple rounds from his revolver, per The Sydney Morning Herald.

Chapman, who was later sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, was a diehard fan of the Beatles but gradually became disillusioned, especially after Lennon's infamous remark about the band being "more popular than Jesus" (via The Scotsman). He came from Hawaii to New York City with a hit list that reportedly included the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Johnny Carson (per the Daily Mail). Chapman made no attempt to flee after killing Lennon, and instead sat reading his copy of "The Catcher in the Rye" at the crime scene. In subsequent years, Chapman has stated that he shot Lennon for "self-glory" (via ABC News). Requests for his parole have been denied repeatedly and he remains in jail.