Ricardo López's Suicide
| “ | This is for you. | ” |
| Ricardo Lopez's last words (to Björk) | ||
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Content Warning! |
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On September 12, 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 committing suicide by gunshot with the revolver in the last part of a video diary.
Background
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 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 his 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.
Content
The diary was titled "Last Day – Ricardo López", the tape features 21-year-old Ricardo López (utterly naked with his head shaved and his face painted red and green) returned 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 I Remember You - Björk plays in the background. As soon as the song finishes playing, he turns the revolver on his head and shouts: "This is for you!" triggering it after one second. Ricardo's corpse collapses and 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.
Further Reading
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_L%C3%B3pez_(stalker)
Link
NOTE: The following video contains extremely graphic content!
- documentingreality.com/forum/attachments/f166/44916d1239804687-ricardo-lopez-suicide-bj-rk-stalker-m011108bjork.mp4
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 |
