When Bad Things Happen to Famous People
Most people live their lives in relative obscurity and, unless they commit some heinous act, their chances of becoming famous, infamous, or a household name are minuscule.
This attempt to gain the spotlight has been cited as a motivation for some famous criminals - people like Mark David Chapman (John Lennon's killer), John Hinckley Jr. (attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan), and Charles Manson (responsible for multiple murders including that of actress Sharon Tate) - all frustrated failures whose primary goal in committing their crimes was to be "known" and to become "superstars." What about the reverse?
What about people who are big-name stars and then commit really serious crimes turning their lives from glorious luxury and privilege into that of the lowest elements of society - dwellers of the penal system?
At first blush you might think that this never happens but let's take a look... The first candidate that comes to mind is the incredible music producer and convicted murderer, Phil Spector. Apart from developing the "Wall of Sound" musical production technique which was wildly popular and successful in the 60's, Phil discovered and produced the first punk band, The Ramones. He worked with such luminaries as John Lennon, George Harrison, Ike and Tina Turner, and Leonard Cohen producing some of their most successful record albums. But sadly, Phil tended towards obsessive privacy and reclusion, eventually descending into what can only be termed pathological behavior when he shot and murdered a woman he'd just met, actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. Phil and his defense team claimed it was a suicide, then an accident, but eventually the court saw through his defense and convicted him of second degree murder, sentencing him to 19 years to life. These days, Spector lives in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran where he will turn 88 before becoming eligible for parole. Wow - what a screw up! Us 'normal' people wonder what would make such a successful man, a man with the world on a string, turn his life into a nightmare by murdering his girlfriend?
Next we have Robert Blake - an extremely gifted actor who played the unforgettable if somewhat ironic role (as the events of his later life show) of Perry, the stone cold killer in In Cold Blood, the 1967 hit film based on the bestseller by Truman Capote.
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