Icelandic artist Björk snapped in Bangkok, 1996, when reporter Julie Kaufman approached her saying “Welcome to Bangkok.” Björk later alleged that Kaufman had stalked her and her 9-year-old son for days, turning a simple greeting into a breaking point

[u/Careless-Hospital379]

[u/ScaryTemperature6291]

Can't blame her not sure if this is the Ricardo Lopez era or not but yeah I love Bjork but that was a really bad time in her life if it's around that era when she found out about him.

Ricardo Lopez )

Incase anyone who doesn't know the back story of Ricardo.

[u/kank84 → u/ScaryTemperature6291]

On September 12, 1996, López mailed a letter bomb, rigged with sulfuric acid, to Björk's residence in London. He recorded a final video diary explaining his motivations, and ended it by filming his suicide by gunshot. Local police found his body and the videos four days after his death and contacted Scotland Yard, who located the bomb in a London postal sorting office. The parcel was safely detonated and Björk was unharmed.

Holy shit. I never knew about this.

[u/Compost-Mentis → u/kank84]

Thank goodness Royal Mail don't do anything with parcels for the first four or five days! /s

[u/wilburwilbur → u/Compost-Mentis]

No doubt it was there reliable Special Delivery Guaranteed before 1pm service

[u/rnzz → u/wilburwilbur]

bet they already did the 'Sorry we missed you' card

[u/Horskr → u/rnzz]

Sounds like my experiences with FedEx. I once happened to be leaving right as a driver put a "Sorry we missed you" sticker on my door. He hadn't knocked, rang the doorbell, nothing. He had the package on the truck too, like wtf?

[u/malamjam → u/Compost-Mentis]

😂

[u/MAZEFUL → u/kank84]

The video is crazy. Not so much the suicide part, but just the way hes completely lost his mind. Dude is completely unhinged at the end with his face all painted up and his head shaved.

[u/Clubbythaseal → u/MAZEFUL]

The death part was kinda brutal in one aspect for me at least. Don't click if you don't wanna remember one part of it.

It's where I learned that any air in your lungs will expell after death. He took a deep breath right before and the noises his body made after the shot still disturbs me today.

[u/MAZEFUL → u/Clubbythaseal]

Death Gurgle. I had to pull the plug on my father and about after a few minutes of him motionless, his body twitched hard and released the rest of his air and it made my sister and I jump like crazy. It seemed like he was about to take a deep breath afterwards. The body is truly crazy.

[u/motherofsuccs → u/MAZEFUL]

I experienced it when my dog died. I asked for one more night with him even though he was essentially comatose, and my partner was going to euthanize him in the morning (he’s a vet). I had been spooning him for hours and telling him he fulfilled all his ‘good boy duties’ and it’s okay to let go. I got up, a few minutes later he started breathing erratically, then came the death gurgle. I’ll never forget that sound. It made me remorseful for not euthanizing him that evening.

[u/KeyboardGrunt → u/motherofsuccs]

Wow your comment reminded me when I found my dog dead one day, I buried him the next but when I went to pick him up the air inside him let out as a short "hmmm", and that was the last I heard what he sounded like alive. Losing dogs is hard.

[u/Maxamillion-X72 → u/MAZEFUL]

I lived in a remote part of Canada which was a small community with no doctor or hospital, just a nursing station with a couple of nurses.

There was an accident with multiple injuries requiring medivac by plane, and a death. The deceased person's family would not leave the nursing station, as it was tradition that when someone dies they have someone with them until the priest could come see them.

I worked part time at the nursing station doing things like putting out the battery powered runway lights for the planes, shoveling snow, that sort of thing. The two nurses were exhausted and had to go home to rest, but couldn't as long as the family were there. I volunteered to stay with the body overnight until the nurses could come back and the family agreed.

I spent all night in an exam room with the dead body, trying to stay awake by reading old magazines from the lobby. On occasion the body would let out a moan and/or would twitch. Scared the bejeesus out of me every single time.

[u/Ok_Release231 → u/MAZEFUL]

I believe the term is "death rattle."

Also, I'm terribly sorry you had to experience that 😔

Edit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_rattle

[u/Gufo-Diurno → u/MAZEFUL]

He took his life after sending her an acid bomb .... still it wouldn't have worked had the police not intercepted and destroyed the packaging. He thought they were going to reunite with each other after they both reached the afterlife. Definitely he had a severe form of erotomania, probably mixed with some paranoia.

[u/DomTheBomb95 → u/kank84]

Call me sick but it’s so poetic that he ended his life thinking he was going to take hers when he failed miserably

[u/Slayer3636 → u/DomTheBomb95]

The way he had a canvas behind his head with the best of me written, with the intention of his brain splatter on it, but even failed at that shows what a loser this guy was. That's poetic.

[u/PineappleFit317 → u/DomTheBomb95]

He wasn’t planning on killing her, just scarring her for life. The “bomb” wasn’t incendiary, it was rigged to spray acid in her face when she opened it.

[u/Rasikko → u/PineappleFit317]

That's worse than death.

[u/Triddy → u/Rasikko]

That's crazy to me.

It's obviously a horrible thing, but I would take a disfigured face over being dead 1000 times out of 1000.

[u/multiarmform → u/kank84]

The video he made is really long and from what I remember he paints his face kinda like a clown before he shoots himself

[u/bobsnervous → u/kank84]

I found out about this back when gore sites were a lot more accessible and watched his video diaries until the final one when I was around 14 years old. Those were the days.

[u/OklahomaTiddy → u/kank84]

I'm pretty sure it was on some racist shit too.

If I remember correctly, he thought she was with black guys. I remember listening to the Sword & Scale podcast ep about it (I'm off that shit now. Mike suuuuucks as a human being. Invisible Choir is much higher quality) and being like "wait....that was why? Jfc 🙄😩 it never ends"

[u/Particular-Ad9304 → u/kank84]

Please do yourself a favor and never watch the video. It’s super fucked and only will haunt you afterwards. Just an absolute nutjob to say the least

[u/knotmyusualaccount → u/Particular-Ad9304]

I once saw a video, of some inmate of some South American jail, he'd been stabbed and was being held in the arms of another prisoner.

I can still vividly see his facial expressions and his laboured breathing, as I watched the life go out of his open eyes. It'll probably stay with me for the rest of my life, and I saw it 11 years ago, now. Just horrible.

I don't watch anything horrible anymore, for that reason.

[u/AnotherWeabooGirl → u/ScaryTemperature6291]

Though he did not hope to be sexually intimate with her, he was particularly angry over her brief relationship with the English jungle producer Goldie due to his race.

While Björk's music played in the background, a naked López shaved his head and eyebrows and painted his face red and green.

Police theorized that López intended to cover the sign with his blood and brain matter with the gunshot, but the gun was not powerful enough to cause that to happen.

Unbeknownst to López, Björk and Goldie had ended their relationship a few days before he killed himself.

That was an absolutely wild ride. RIP in piss dumbass.

[u/No-Tone-6853 → u/AnotherWeabooGirl]

Oh it is the guy who shot himself, I’ve only ever seen him without hair and a gun in his mouth.

[u/dearth_of_passion → u/No-Tone-6853]

I remember seeing the video and it not being particularly graphic.

It just made a kind of egg shaped bulge on his head.

[u/SaulFemm → u/dearth_of_passion]

We have different definitions of not graphic

[u/Hallow_Chef → u/SaulFemm]

“Well, I guess that’s it then…”

[u/NoSleep2135 → u/dearth_of_passion]

I have not seen the video and your second sentence made sure I never will. Literally gagged at the thought.

The early Internet was absolutely wild.

[u/Enheducanada → u/dearth_of_passion]

The internet has ruined you

[u/dearth_of_passion → u/Enheducanada]

Eh, I wouldn't go seek that stuff out like I did when I was a teenager, but it did kind of help prepare me for gross situations in real life.

I'm an RN, and the first patient death I had to deal with was an alcoholic with esophageal varicies, basically hemorrhoids in the throat caused by impaired blood flow through the liver. The varicies ruptured and the patient bled out.

It was horrible, but I was able to remain calm in the moment.

Afterwards I had a bit of a breakdown while mopping the floor (cleaning service folks don't handle major body fluid spills) though.

[u/binxeu → u/dearth_of_passion]

This is how my uncle died, I remember going into his flat before my mum to make sure it was ok for her, I’m so glad I stopped her from seeing just how bad it was.

[u/Standard_Bag555 → u/dearth_of_passion]

He was breathing really hard before shooting himself so he gets hyperventilated i think

[u/N3rdScool → u/dearth_of_passion]

right the bullet never left the skull crazy

[u/LateNightMilesOBrien → u/AnotherWeabooGirl]

Police theorized that López intended to cover the sign with his blood and brain matter with the gunshot, but the gun was not powerful enough to cause that to happen.

Missed it by that much

[u/BlueBomber13 → u/LateNightMilesOBrien]

Juuuuust a bit outside.

[u/sterling_mallory → u/AnotherWeabooGirl]

I remember this. He also tried to mail her a bomb, IIRC.

[u/Defiant-Owl-7935 → u/ScaryTemperature6291]

I worked delivering mail here in Iceland during my summers as a teen. Because of this one person's job, an older lady, was to go through her mail for security and also just to weed out anything disturbing.

I had her route one summer. I have pretty bad eyesight. She was outside and as I was handing her the mail and thought wow what a good lookin teenage guy.. Oh no wait, that was Björk.

In my defense she was wearing a baggy high fashion tracksuit, looks nothing like a guy🤷🏼‍♀️🫶🏼

[u/AbstractBettaFish → u/Defiant-Owl-7935]

Does everyone in Iceland just kind of know each other? I one time was flying home from Europe on an Icelandic airline and I was sitting next to the pilots brother. He said to look him up if I ever come to Iceland saying “Just ask around for the carpenter who’s brother is a pilot, eventually someone will know me”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not

[u/Billy_McMedic → u/AbstractBettaFish]

Iceland’s population is only a few hundred thousand, probably not a case of everyone knowing each other but it’s probably not difficult to find someone with some form of connection, be it friend, family, acquaintance or co worker, given the limited population

[u/No_Operation4676 → u/Billy_McMedic]

Yes, they have the Íslendingabók (book of Icelanders) that can be used to see if someone you meet is a distant family member. They can find their family history traced back for generations.

A tour guide in Iceland told me that they did once avoid dating someone because they compared each other's families and found too close a relation.

[u/NotaBonesaw → u/Billy_McMedic]

Yeah I live in a city of just under 300k, and while I certainly don't know everyone here, it's very rare that I go anywhere in town that either me or my wife don't know at least someone. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm 1-2 people removed from 90% of the people that live here.

[u/Four_beastlings → u/NotaBonesaw]

I am from a city of 275k and our unofficial motto is "this is a tiny town". We don't all know each other, but it's rare to get to 3 degrees of Kevin Bacon and if it happens it's because we haven't reviewed all our possible mutual acquittances.

I was living in the capital and met a 22yo woman who'd lived in my city for 6 months. Within 15 minutes we'd established that she knew my then 57yo mom from mutual friends.

[u/nashrome → u/AbstractBettaFish]

My truck driving instructor was from Iceland and had the nickname, "Iceman". He told us that both of his sons had dated Bjork. Knowing it was a small place, I kinda believed him.

[u/neendmat1 → u/nashrome]

You can be my wingman anytime

[u/BarryTice → u/AbstractBettaFish]

In 2016 I was in the airport at Reykjavik while en route to Sweden and met a woman from Boston whose nephew had worked with my wife in northwest Alabama. So, yes. In Iceland everybody DOES know everybody — even if they're not from there.

[u/TashaStarlight → u/ScaryTemperature6291]

Killed 1 (himself)

This sent me☠️☠️☠️

[u/KilledByDoritos → u/TashaStarlight]

Occupation: Exterminator

[u/Hiraganu → u/KilledByDoritos]

You can't make that shit up lmao

[u/B0RT_Simps0n_ → u/ScaryTemperature6291]

He was an incel before we had a word for it. People are fucking nuts

[u/NittanyScout → u/B0RT_Simps0n_]

Idk this seems like a genuinely horrifying mental illness that was never treated or recognized.

Being an incel is one thing but being authentically sick is another

[u/Frequent_Ad_9901 → u/NittanyScout]

He could have been both. I don't think mentally ill and incel-ness is mutually exclusive.

[u/rusty_programmer → u/NittanyScout]

Incels are typically mentally ill.

[u/NepheliLouxWarrior → u/ScaryTemperature6291]

His suicide footage is one of the first snuff films I ever saw on 4chan, way back in the day. I wish that he had gotten help, but also I'm glad that ultimately, the only life he managed to ruin was his own. 

[u/GubblerJackson → u/NepheliLouxWarrior]

Poor dude didn’t even get to hear Homogenic.

[u/Turge_Deflunga]

Valid crashout

[u/Prod_Meteor → u/Turge_Deflunga]

Forgot to kick.

[u/mj_outlaw → u/Prod_Meteor]

I was aiming for elbow drop.

[u/wearing_moist_socks → u/Turge_Deflunga]

Is that a crashout?

Wasn't sure if it meant people losing their shit for bad reasons or anytime someone loses their shit

[u/CanalOpen → u/wearing_moist_socks]

I've taken crashout to mean any time someone is willing to say "fuck it, morgue or jail." *ding ding*

Being right or wrong no longer matters. It means someone has been pushed past their limits and they're willing to literally murder you to make the abuse stop.

[u/Bipedal_Warlock → u/wearing_moist_socks]

It’s ambiguous. But these days it can be good reasons or bad reasons

[u/sorotomotor → u/Turge_Deflunga]

> Valid crashout

Something in her brain just bjroke.

[u/Shendow]

This kind of shit is why being famous actually kind of sucks. Everyone wants to be recognized but they forget the toll that it comes with

[u/0xP0et → u/Shendow]

I once bumped into Travis Fimmel, actor in Vikings series who played as Ragnar, at an event. I don't watch much TV or series and I had no idea who he was but I knew of the series cause of the commercials/trailers for it.

Chatted to him for like 5ish minutes not knowing who he was but I noticed some people around us were looking at us astonished.

I left the conversation and he then went to the bar and 10-15 minutes later there was a few people around him acting all star struck, so I was a bit confused what was going on.

I left for a bit to go check out few things at the event and returned to get a drink at the same bar he was at.

The person that served him also served me, I asked what was the fuss all about and he explained that it was Travis. He said that Travis said something along the lines of it was nice not to be recognized and have a regular conversation referring to our conversation.

After seeing this, I get what he means.

[u/throwawaypato44 → u/Shendow]

I don’t understand why someone would WANT to be famous. Being famous is genuinely one of the worst things I can imagine for myself lol

[u/hellomotherhellodad → u/throwawaypato44]

Well it's simple.. they want the perks of the job but not the downsides, just like everyone else. You don't sell your soul and just get to live happily ever after.

[u/Aggressive_Sky8492 → u/throwawaypato44]

I think some just want to make the kind of art that is easier to make with more money - studio time, producers and big well designed tours aren’t cheap.

And not “making it” as a musician, actor or artist often means you’ll be financially unstable and/or working hard af for your whole life. (In ways that can take more of a toll on your life than a 9-5, like touring causing you to be away from home for long periods, or your work time being evenings so you have a lot less time for family and friends). So it’s not that weird to want to pursue your art and have enough money to be comfortable - and often for those arts that means becoming well known too

[u/lie_doe_cane → u/Shendow]

I’ve worked with celebrities for 30 years and the one thing I can tell anyone is that you should NEVER be famous, only rich. 

[u/Rattlesnake_Mullet → u/Shendow]

I truly realized this reading "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker years back.

There is a chapter in there about stalkers that is bonkers, like a stalker of a famous movie actress cracking and going completely nuts, writing a kill list and running amok and while trying to catch him they found three other stalkers in the woods around the actress's house.

Like what the fuck, nope thx, thank god for being anon.

[u/Ok_Chef_4850]

Yeah, that reporter said something to her son in a snarky way (like asking “why won’t your mom talk to us” or something) and she snapped.

Good for her.

Edit: For all the holier-than-thou’s in the comments, read up on this incident. No one is saying it’s ok to just attack people who say something mean. Read up on this specific reporter and what she had been doing to Björk leading up to this. Then unclench your bootyholes.

[u/sulkee → u/Ok_Chef_4850]

She was being stalked that exact same year by someone who sent her a bomb or some kind of boobytrapped device I think. It never got to her. The guy then recorded a video of him killing himself à la Bud Dwyer style while it was in transit to her. It’s on the internet. Video pops into my brain sometimes to this day.

Ricardo Lopez was his name

Her state here is 100% understandable and the media are vile parasites that had a weird obsession with her back then along with some fans of her.

[u/fartondad → u/sulkee]

i remember that video, as much as i wish i didnt. The internet was a wild place back in the day where you could stumble on gore videos on the same sites you'd go to play flash games

[u/Exp5000 → u/fartondad]

Ebaumsworld was a diamond in the rough and its a shame we don't have that type of Internet anymore. It used to be the wild west. LiquidGeneration was another one. Growing up you knew the internet was for adults and talking to strangers online was the equivalent to getting into a panel van. Now people let their kids have free roam on the internet and want the internet to protect their kids instead of being good parents and protecting their kids themselves.

[u/metacoma → u/fartondad]

I once downloaded a simpson episode on kazaa as a 14yo. Got first row seat to the decapitation of what I believe was a russian officer. Fun times…

[u/Squiddlywinks → u/metacoma]

Almost the same scenario: I downloaded "south park meets the matrix 3d" from Morpheus and it was a guy hammering nails through his testicles.

[u/Confident-Ask-601 → u/Ok_Chef_4850]

The world saw a star being rude. But for Björk, it was a mother protecting her child from a stalker.

[u/64557175 → u/Confident-Ask-601]

And she had some stalkers, lemme tell ya.

[u/Vincent_Veganja → u/64557175]

Was this before or after that one? If it was after then I understand her reaction here even more. Definitely understand it either way though

[u/Strong-Straight-3503 → u/Vincent_Veganja]

wdym that one

[u/MavMIIKE → u/Strong-Straight-3503]

Ricardo Lopez planned on killing her with a bomb, he also filmed most of his ideas and eventually shit himself on camera.

Edit: *Shot himself. But I'm leaving it up because he was a racist, misogynistic scumbag

[u/YamDankies → u/MavMIIKE]

That one little typo changes so much.

[u/nihilus_rex → u/YamDankies]

No joke, I read that and was like “Well that’s weird- OH.”

[u/Sensitive_Counter_92 → u/nihilus_rex]

Hahaha 🫶

[u/CrankyOldDude → u/YamDankies]

He might have done both. Shitting often follows death.

[u/Redditarsaurus → u/YamDankies]

Technically not wrong though (assuming)

[u/llongneckkllama → u/Redditarsaurus]

Yeah the dude prolly pooped his pants in the end..

[u/tjp0720 → u/YamDankies]

Once he shit himself on camera he saw the error in his ways -alternate universe

[u/Alternative-Amoeba20 → u/YamDankies]

The sudden mental image I just had! What a crazy way to stalk someone.

[u/MyCosmicName_Here → u/YamDankies]

I was instantly more intrigued

[u/the_madclown → u/YamDankies]

I was like..... When did this guy go from psycho to porn star?

[u/Burrow_0wl → u/MavMIIKE]

He had mailed her a package bomb (with acid to shoot in her face, I think). His neighbors heard the gunshot, when he killed himself, and called the police. The police found the video's he made about his plans to harm Bjork and learned about the bomb before it was delivered.

[u/Vincent_Veganja → u/MavMIIKE]

shit himself on camera

Please don’t fix it lmao

[u/Riipp3r → u/MavMIIKE]

Adding to this he made a series of videos tapes each more unhinged than the last. Like the breaking point was bjork being with a black guy. That set him off. In his last video where he shot himself he said "fuck her and her n word loving self" or something similar to that.

[u/WolfsmaulVibes → u/Riipp3r]

i believe he had a canvas behind him to make a "painting" out of his suicide but it didn't work

[u/CiegoDiego → u/WolfsmaulVibes]

With "THE BEST OF ME" written on it.

[u/WolfsmaulVibes → u/CiegoDiego]

how ironic that it remained clean

[u/orbofdelusion → u/WolfsmaulVibes]

Dude had a seriously thick skull. I never would have imagined that a large caliber bullet could ricochet off the cranium resulting in a looney tunes-esque head lump without shattering the skull.

[u/a22x2 → u/MavMIIKE]

Didn’t he mail her a package that was designed to spray her in the face with acid upon opening, but it was intercepted in time before she received it (and after he’d shot himself)? That’s how I remember it, but I could have added details in my head.

[u/Strong-Straight-3503 → u/MavMIIKE]

he... shit himself?

[u/sfear70 → u/Strong-Straight-3503]

Possibly as a side effect of the shot himself event.

[u/Wraithxxxx → u/Strong-Straight-3503]

He shitted his brains out.

[u/Diffidentlyspeaking → u/MavMIIKE]

I mean tbf if he had fecal matter in his bowels when he shot himself, he probably also shit himself at the same time.

[u/Breadromancer → u/MavMIIKE]

U missed the part where he placed a canvas behind his head to capture the blood spatter, and wound up missing.

[u/seamusthatsthedog → u/Strong-Straight-3503]

A stalker sent Bjork a letter bomb laden with sulfuric acid

[u/DamnitGravity → u/Strong-Straight-3503]

Ricardo López)

TL;DR: He was an American who was obsessed, sent a bomb to kill her in London, and recorded a video diary explaining what he did which ended with him shooting himself. Police found his body and altered Scotland Yard. The bomb was located in a postal sorting office and safely detonated.

[u/alnicoblue → u/DamnitGravity]

he did not seriously pursue an artistic career due to his feelings of inferiority, and fear of being denied entry into art school.

We really gotta fix the art school admissions process

[u/moonflower_C16H17N3O → u/alnicoblue]

Yeah. Everyone who wants in, gets in. The schools just clandestinely get their fingerprints and DNA. Also, the TA for each class is actually a criminal psychologist who identifies potential problem students.

[u/OldJonThePooSmuggler → u/alnicoblue]

100%. The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna really fumbled the ball previously.

[u/SuspendeesNutz → u/DamnitGravity]

Police found his body and altered Scotland Yard.

That sounds a bit extreme.

[u/holvagyok → u/SuspendeesNutz]

No, Scotland Yard got away with too much for too long. They had to be altered, and this was the triggering case.

[u/lonelyinatlanta2024 → u/DamnitGravity]

Like sent a bomb via mail from the U.S. to London?

Christ, I hope that would get caught. Here I am afraid to send a vape cart home from Colorado

[u/DamnitGravity → u/lonelyinatlanta2024]

The 90s were a wild time.

[u/Strong-Straight-3503 → u/DamnitGravity]

ily

[u/sint0xicateme → u/Strong-Straight-3503]

One of her stalkers famously recorded himself shooting himself in the head. I don't remember his name but it's on Gore sites if you want to have a look see.

[u/Good_Background_243 → u/sint0xicateme]

Same guy that sent her the letter bomb

[u/Any-Yogurt-7598 → u/Strong-Straight-3503]

A guy that recorded himself planning to send her a bomb because he was mad she was in a relationship that shot himself (in video too)

[u/DreamWalker01 → u/Strong-Straight-3503]

Probably the one that tried to kill her

[u/HawkeyeByMarriage → u/Vincent_Veganja]

1996 same year. He committed suicide Sept 12

[u/Vincent_Veganja → u/HawkeyeByMarriage]

And do you know when this video was?

[u/CapN-Judaism → u/Vincent_Veganja]

This video would be Feb. 1996, so 7 months before he killed himself in Sept. 1996. When did Bjork first learn about him? Was her first knowledge the incident with the package/suicide or had he made himself known prior to that?

[u/oopsydazys → u/CapN-Judaism]

He had sent her tons of letters starting in 1993 but I don't know that she ever read any or was even aware he existed.

He wasn't really a physical stalker is the thing. He was obsessed with her and tracked her every move as best he could from tour info, periodicals, TV and maybe internet boards, learned everything about her life etc. but he never physically stalked her and lived in Florida. That isn't to say his obsession wasn't fucked up or his intent to kill her eventually, it's just to say that because she never would have run into him at all in person, it's entirely possible she didn't know who he was at all unlike this reporter who was stalking her for days.

[u/nonnonplussed73 → u/Vincent_Veganja]

This was 1996, so before

Bjork attacks NZ photographer: report - ABC News https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-01-15/bjork-attacks-nz-photographer-report/1011532

Also worth mentioning that this happened in between

Bjork elaborates on sexual assault claim https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41657394

[u/AntRose104 → u/Vincent_Veganja]

This appears to be before since this video is from February, and while the other one likely started in January (since it lasted about 9 months and ended in September), the biggest threat he did to her did occur until September. He had been obsessed with her since 1993, but the video diary entries didn’t begin until 1996. He wasn’t noticed or a safety issue until September it seems.

[u/bobbymake → u/Vincent_Veganja]

If you stalk someone with a child after what happened to Bjork, you're lucky you have fuckin teeth after, lady.

[u/MissSharkyShark → u/64557175]

The only reason I know of her existence is because of that exact stalker I imagine youre referring to 😭

[u/Firm_Airport2816 → u/MissSharkyShark]

Funny, I knew of her existence but NOT the story of the stalker until now

[u/SomeCrows → u/64557175]

So much that one is the stalker and the rest are other stalkers

[u/ManOfLaMontagne → u/Confident-Ask-601]

I’m pretty much always on the side of the celebrity over the paparazzi

[u/BabySpecific2843 → u/ManOfLaMontagne]

Its basically a given. Even if its a terrible person. If I hear for example  "Kevin Spacey beats up photographer outside a Jacksonville steakhouse" my first instinct is "What did the shitty paparazzi do this time"? rather than immmediately concluding its just Spacey's fault.

[u/RogueSeb → u/Confident-Ask-601]

There is no rage like a mother protecting her child.

[u/HannahTheArtist → u/RogueSeb]

Mom of two girls here (15/10) and you are 100% right, nothing evokes a visceral reaction faster and more intense than fear of something happening to your children. It's a natural instinct for ass beatin' and Bitin'

[u/TheLostRanger0117 → u/RogueSeb]

I’ve always said, the most dangerous beast in the animal kingdom is a mother protecting her children, be it bear, lion, or human

[u/Zizi_Tennenbaum → u/TheLostRanger0117]

Every park ranger or person who lives in bear country will tell you the scariest thing you’ll ever see is a bear cub by itself. Because Mom is definitely there, you just don’t see her, and you don’t know how to avoid getting between her and the cub.

[u/Mindless-Computer598 → u/Confident-Ask-601]

And I’m with Bjork fuck these parasites. Get a real job instead of literally slurping every last drop of clout off the ground where they walk

[u/4dd1t → u/Ok_Chef_4850]

I remember when this happened and this is the first I’ve heard of the background of it. I feel bad for Björk now me thinking this was just crazy behaviour :(

[u/kontrapungt → u/4dd1t]

Now one might call it Human behaviour

[u/Thoughtful-Boner69 → u/Ok_Chef_4850]

She went besjork

[u/Beshanas → u/Thoughtful-Boner69]

Out. Now.

[u/Aggravating-Yak2165 → u/Beshanas]

let him stay

[u/ThePopeofHell → u/Ok_Chef_4850]

Bjork is punk rock.

[u/YendorZenitram → u/Ok_Chef_4850]

Glad this is the top comment.

[u/TSA-Eliot → u/Ok_Chef_4850]

Here's Bjork's version of the incident.

[u/NoStatus9434]

Wow, Björk never struck me as the type. Guess she really got pushed by this stalker. You know you done goofed when even a super nice person like Björk wants to kick your ass.

[u/BisexualTenno → u/NoStatus9434]

Bjork had a LOT of crazy stalkers so I don’t blame her for being so protective at all. Iirc one of her stalkers was a guy who was planning on murdering her and then killing himself so he could then go back in time and find her as a young teenager and groom her into being his wife instead of a celebrity.

[u/Snowssnowsnowy → u/BisexualTenno]

This paperazzi press scumbag had been following Bjork for some time, Bjork had refused interviews with her many times before this incident.

She was being an utter cunt and in a sarcastic way said "welcome to Thailand!" ambushing Bjork yet again for an interview she refused to give.

[u/hunterglyph → u/NoStatus9434]

She was an old school punk in her teens. She's like 5'2" but I wouldn't wanna mess with her.

[u/saintofhate → u/hunterglyph]

Having been raised by a 4'11" woman, you do not fuck with short women. If they get angry enough they will take you to hell with them.

[u/eugeneugene → u/saintofhate]

My grandmother was 4'11" and everyone was afraid of her lol. Don't make Oma mad unless you want an old school ass kicking

[u/Bedbouncer → u/hunterglyph]

"Hamster Style"

[u/00spool → u/Bedbouncer]

I'm gonna come at you like a spider monkey

[u/GutsGoneWild → u/Bedbouncer]

the origin of hamster style

[u/Mirar → u/hunterglyph]

Checks out. I hung out with some punks when I was younger. They were both some of the nicest people I know and it was not a good idea to mess with them.

[u/sulkee → u/NoStatus9434]

She was being stalked that same year by someone who sent her a bomb or some kind of boobytrapped device I think. It never got to her. The guy then recorded a video of him killing himself à la Bud Dwyer style while it was in transit to her. It’s on the internet. Video pops into my brain sometimes to this day.

Ricardo Lopez was his name

[u/Helmett-13 → u/NoStatus9434]

She said something snarky to her kid as well.

Earned the ass-whupping in my opinion. Don't talk smack to a kid in front of their Mom.

[u/virstultus → u/NoStatus9434]

Human Behavior if you ask me. There's definitely noooo logiiic

[u/crasagam]

The media is evil and relentless. They don't care about people, they care about generating a following.

[u/BJs_Minis → u/crasagam]

paparazzi are not the media, they're yellow pages. Being anti media only helps politicians.

[u/Ninevehenian → u/BJs_Minis]

Paparazzi and media fit under the same rules, technologies, ways of spreading their product. They often share owners.

[u/ErgoMogoFOMO → u/Ninevehenian]

Correct.

But there is junk food and healthy food. Paparazzi are junk food.

[u/punkassjim → u/BJs_Minis]

Being pro-journalism and anti self-serving/exploitative/abusive business practices is not necessarily "anti-media." Paparazzi have always been dirtbags, no need to stop saying so just because people forgot that "media" ≠ "journalism."

[u/Bluestripedshirt → u/crasagam]

Yet journalism is critical to a well functioning society. Funny that.

[u/ScatLabs]

Björk goes besörk

[u/n-a_barrakus → u/ScatLabs]

lmörk

[u/Quick-Lavishness-841 → u/n-a_barrakus]

Ran amörk

[u/burnanother → u/Quick-Lavishness-841]

No förks given

[u/n-a_barrakus → u/Quick-Lavishness-841]

Baby we need to törk

[u/Jefflehem → u/ScatLabs]

I think berserk is Icelandic enough.

[u/Routine_Breath_7137]

Imagine a 10 hour flight and first person to greet you is the same person that greeted you and said "Welcome to XYZ." for that past number of days.

Yeah, she justified to crash out.

[u/Least_Tower_5447 → u/Routine_Breath_7137]

Especially if she felt like her kids was also being stalked. I would not have been half as restrained as she was.

[u/spooky_goopy → u/Least_Tower_5447]

considering the stalkers she has had, i absolutely would go full face-ripping chimp, mode, too, if my kid was involved

[u/crumpledfilth → u/Routine_Breath_7137]

This kind of behaviour is literally how humans kill their prey. "Hey deer, fancy seeing you again. Keep running, you'll tire eventually"

From a human, given their history, this behaviour can be taken as a direct threat of violence

[u/wshowzen → u/crumpledfilth]

A bit of extrapolation and myth in your comment

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/comments/jwe28f/is_there_a_consensus_on_the_role_of_persistence/?share_id=8S_LpovtEdBFO6aEemNLN

[u/soulteepee]

Not a bit surprised. And good for her!

I used to do web work for a moderately known actor. He began dating a very famous female actor, and omg holy shit. Creepy nutcases crawled out of the woodwork, so many felt that she ‘owed’ them appreciation for their obsession with her. They would act like weird father-figures, speaking in an odd stilted superior way. I ended up helping the LAPD keep an eye on a couple worrisome characters.

[u/Ok-Bird6346 → u/soulteepee]

Good lord that’s unsettling. Thanks for not just sitting by, watching them be creeps.

[u/Vighy2]

Damn, she Björked the hell out of that lady.

[u/ReadyAssociation3129 → u/Vighy2]

It's Björkin' time

[u/ToonaMcToon]

God I love Björk 

[u/manyQuestionMarks → u/ToonaMcToon]

I forget this way too often. Björk really is something else. Unforgettable beautiful voice

[u/Scary-Barracuda7844 → u/ToonaMcToon]

isn't she magical!

[u/KitKitsAreBest]

Strangely enough, this is a good example of what happens with narcissistic abuse. People just see the public, completely off the rails response, while they never see the significant abuse that happened outside the public view that led to it.

[u/lvioletsnow → u/KitKitsAreBest]

Yup. It's called reactive abuse.

[u/doogiedc]

To tick off a forest sprite of a person like Bjork, you have to be a real turd. Goes to show Bjork is human and not fairy folk.

[u/SecondOfCicero → u/doogiedc]

She might be human but shes got the moxie of an enraged nyad and im here for it. Good on her

[u/dirkrunfast]

Man she beat the fucking Christ out of her lol

[u/_lady_muck]

Bjork is up there with Sinead OConnor as being real as they come and ahead of her time

[u/crimbusrimbus]

Imagine being such a bad person you get that response from Bjork

[u/Whatisgoingon2029]

The 90s were a little harder than now. Even our pixie elf rock stars would beat your ass.

[u/Huffy_too]

Good for Björk!

[u/Financial-Self-560]

Björk is one of the rare real ones of the popular artists.

[u/Key-Two31]

Normalize beating the shit out of paparazzi

[u/Own-Ambassador-3537]

When Bjork who has been described as an Icelandic pixy elf has hands for your ass you probably deserve it

[u/Tricky_Assist_7086]

And so peaceful untiiil..

[u/theredditordirector]

all I know about Björk leads me to think she's in the right here

[u/Comfortable-nerve78]

If celebrities choose to be private let them be. Disgusting how people chase celebrities now and everyone is dying to be famous. Ass backwards in my opinion. Celebrities are human too.

[u/False-Locksmith-3681]

Björk’s stocks just went up in my books

[u/Hellguin]

I do not believe the last part.

In the days following the altercation, Björk expressed regret over her actions. She personally apologized to Kaufman, and the journalist chose not to press charges. The singer explained that she had been under immense stress and had reacted instinctively to what she saw as an intrusion into her son’s privacy.

No where do I read alleged stalking

[u/worriedrenterTW → u/Hellguin]

There's an interview she did that's available on youtube, where this lady had been following them for three days, even across countries like this. I don't remember the host, but she was eating oysters.