Ricardo López
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| “ | Comfort is what I seek in speaking to you; I am being my own psychologist. You are a camera. I am Ricardo. | „ |
| ~ Lopez in the first tape of his video diary. |
Ricardo López (January 14th, 1975 - September 12th, 1996) also known as the Bjork Stalker, was a Uruguayan-American exterminator from Florida who became increasingly obsessed with Icelandic singer Bjork over the course of 1996. He recorded his obsession and his subsequent descent into insanity in a series of videotapes that he compiled together into a video diary.
As his obsession intensified, his thoughts turned increasingly violent, destroying his life in the process. In the final days of his life, he formulated a plan to kill her using a homemade acid bomb and take his own life so, he believed, they could be together in the afterlife. While López succeeded in killing himself, his assassination attempt failed when authorities discovered his video diaries, foiling his plan.
Biography edit
Ricardo López was born in Uruguay on January 14, 1975, into a middle-class family who moved to the United States and settled in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He had a good relationship with his family, and was described as easygoing but introverted. He had a few male friends, but never made female friends, nor had a girlfriend, because he had feelings of inadequacy and had social awkwardness around women. López had Klinefelter syndrome.[1]
With aspirations to become a famous artist, López dropped out of high school. However, he did not seriously pursue an artistic career due to his feelings of inferiority, and fear of being rejected entry into art school. He intermittently worked for his brother's pest control business to support himself. By the age of 17, López had become reclusive and, as a means of escape, retreated into a world of fantasies and became enthralled by celebrities.
In 1993, López became fixated on Icelandic singer Björk.[1] He began gathering information about her life, followed her career, and wrote her numerous fan letters. Initially, López cited her as his artistic muse and said that his infatuation gave him a "euphoric feeling".[2] As time passed, his fixation about Björk became all-consuming and he grew more disconnected from reality.
In his diary, López wrote of longing to be accepted by Björk and to be a person who had "an effect on her life". He fantasized about inventing a time machine that would enable him to time travel to the 1970s to become friends with her as a child. His fantasies about Björk were not sexual; in his diary, he wrote, "I couldn't have sex with Björk because I love her." He decided he was going to kill her upon hearing that she had entered into a relationship with Jamaican-English musician Goldie[1], being infuriated that Björk was in a relationship with a "nigger", which he repeatedly called Goldie during the course of his video diary.
López's diary grew to 803 pages, with passages including his thoughts on Björk as well as his feelings of inadequacy due to being overweight, his disgust and embarrassment over suffering from gynecomastia (which he referred to as a deformity that made him feel "weird") and his inability to get a girlfriend. He wrote that he considered himself "a loser who never even learned to drive" and complained about his menial job as an exterminator that earned him little money. The diary contained 168 references to López's feelings of failure, 34 references to suicide, and 14 references to murder. He made 408 references to Björk and 52 references to other celebrities.[3]
In his final video tape, López demonstrated just how far gone he truly was. It initially showed him delivering his homemade bomb to the post office.[4] Later, he is shown back at his apartment, completely naked with his head shaved and his face painted red and green. After listening to several Björk songs, he says "This is for you!" before shooting himself in the mouth. His body wouldn't be found until four days later.[2]
When Björk watched the tapes herself, she was reportedly "very distressed" by them. She said "It's terrible, very terrible. It's a very sad thing that someone would shoot his face off." and "I make music, but in other terms, you know, people shouldn't take me too literally and get involved in my personal life."[2] She sent a card and flowers to López's family.[5]
López's family and friends were aware of his obsession with Björk, but they maintained that they had no idea that López harbored violent thoughts or was capable of violence. At one point, López's brother had told him to "Get a real woman, you're obsessed". A psychiatrist who treated López for anxiety shortly before his death also stated that López did not appear dangerous. López's videotapes, including his suicide, were confiscated by the FBI and released to journalists.
Videos edit
See also edit
References edit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ricardo Lopez, story of a stalker, Emadion
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Inside the Mind of a Celebrity Stalker, ABC News
- ↑ VIDEOS DOCUMENT OBSESSION, SUICIDE, Sun Sentinel
- ↑ The terrifying moment Björk's stalker tried to kill her with an acid letterbomb, Far Out Magazine
- ↑ Rocker Makes Statement, Sun Sentinel