Ricardo López's Suicide

		Content Warning! The following work contains content and material that some may find shocking. Reader discretion is advised.

Last Day – Ricardo López
Ricardo López in the final moments before his suicide.
About This Shock Site
Maker	Ricardo López (perpetrator)
Type	Shock video
Release date	September 12th, 1996

On September 12th, 1996, Ricardo López, a mentally ill obsessed fan of Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress Björk mailed a letter bomb rigged with sulfuric acid to Björk's residence in London to attempt to kill her, then returned home and recorded his final tape explaining his actions before filming his suicide by gunshot with the revolver in the last part of a video diary.

Content

The diary was titled "Last Day – Ricardo López" The tape features 21-year-old Ricardo López (utterly naked with his head shaved and face painted red and green) returned to his apartment in Hollywood, Florida. He then explained his actions by stating that he was "a little nervous" and "definitely not drunk and depressed" while Björk's "I Remember You" plays in the background. As soon as the song finishes playing, he turns the revolver on his head and shouts: "This is for you!" before triggering it after the last words. Ricardo's corpse collapses, bleeding profusely on the floor until the camera stops filming. A hand-painted sign bearing the handwritten words "The best of me. Sept. 12" and blood can be seen on the wall behind him.

Background

Another tape of Ricardo in January 17, 1996.

Ricardo López, popularly known as the Björk stalker was an American pest exterminator who attempted to murder Icelandic singer Björk. López was born in Uruguay in 1975 and later moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia, where he worked as an exterminator. He became obsessed with Björk in 1993, developing an infatuation with her that turned into a dangerous fixation after she entered a brief relationship with the musician Goldie. For nearly nine months in 1996, López recorded video diaries in his Hollywood, Florida apartment, discussing his obsession with the singer and his plan to kill her. He eventually mailed a letter bomb rigged with sulfuric acid to Björk's residence in London, then filmed a final video diary explaining his motivations before committing suicide by gunshot. López's body and video tapes were found by the police four days later, who intercepted the package and saved Björk from harm. López had a difficult early life, dropping out of high school and becoming reclusive, and was diagnosed with Klinefelter syndrome. Despite aspirations to become an artist, López worked for his brother's pest control business, which he viewed as a dead-end job. He wrote an 803-page diary documenting his feelings of inadequacy, disgust about his gynecomastia, and fixation on Björk. His diary contained 168 references to feelings of failure, 34 references to suicide, and 14 references to murder. López's obsession with Björk grew more intense when he learned of her relationship with Goldie, and he eventually decided to kill her. He initially planned to send a package containing hypodermic needles filled with HIV-tainted blood but later decided to construct a letter bomb using sulfuric acid instead. López's video diaries, which documented his obsession with Björk, his plan to kill her, and his suicide, were seized by the police and became an object of fascination in popular culture.

Aftermath

Immediately after the suicide, Björk said in a statement that she was distressed by the incident. She described it as "terrible" and "very sad", and said that people should not "take me too literally and get involved in my personal life". She sent a card and flowers to López's family. She left for Spain, where she recorded the remainder of her third album, Homogenic, away from media attention. She also hired security for her son, Sindri Eldon Þórsson, who was escorted to school with a minder. A year after López's death, Björk discussed the incident in an interview: "I was very upset that somebody had died. I couldn't sleep for a week. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare the fuck out of me. That I could get hurt and, most of all, that my son could get hurt."

López's family and friends were aware of his obsession with Björk. They maintained that they had no idea that he harbored violent thoughts or was capable of violence. At one point, his 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 he did not appear dangerous. López's videotapes, including his suicide, were confiscated by the FBI and released to journalists.

In Popular Culture

In Adult Swim's animated series Smiling Friends, López's letter bomb plot was referenced in the show's episode "Enchanted Forest" Pim and Charlie planned to help Mip deliver a handmade gift (with the time bomb inside it) to the Princess of the Enchanted Forest, she opened it to reveal it, which nearly killed her, Pim, and Charlie before she threw it out of the window.

Previously on February 9th, 2015, a topic about Ricardo López was used on SleepyCast, involving Smiling Friends co-creator and voice actor Zach Hadel.

Links

NOTE: The following video contains extremely graphic content!

• pomf2.lain.la/f/wx1055j4.mp4
• documentingreality.com/forum/attachments/f166/44916d1239804687-ricardo-lopez-suicide-bj-rk-stalker-m011108bjork.mp4
• The full tape set: archive.org/details/ricardo_lopez_video_diary

Further Reading

• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_L%C3%B3pez_(stalker)

Ricardo López's Suicide is part of a series on

The Exorcist - Original Theatrical Trailer ⟡ Faroe Islands (WDC) ⟡ Jumyou Ga Chijimaru ⟡ Monkey on Their Backs ⟡ Budd Dwyer’s Suicide ⟡ Ricardo López's Suicide ⟡ Dumb Animals ⟡ The Scavengers ⟡ Burger King Kids Club Commercial - The Simpsons ⟡ Bowlgirl ⟡ Peperami - Running ⟡ OFEX ⟡ The Chase ⟡ ChechClear ⟡ Environmental Investigation Agency - Tigers ⟡ BME Pain Olympics ⟡ Teletoon at Night Bumper

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