Björk, statement to the press about her stalker. London, September 18, 1996.

20 years ago, when Björk was outside her home in London, September 18, 1996, six days after the death of Ricardo Lopez, saying that she was “very depressed“ by the incident. She said, “It’s terrible, very terrible. It’s a very sad thing that someone would shoot his face off. I make music, but in other terms, you know, people shouldn’t take me too literally and get involved in my personal life.“ She later sent a card and flowers to López’s family. López had become obsessed with the singer in 1993 and later became angry over her relationship with musician Goldie, considered the interracial relationship “unacceptable“, for it considered that it had to “punish her“. He initially intended to construct a bomb filled with needles containing HIV tainted blood, but withdrew due to its complexity. In June, he began constructing a letter bomb disguised as a book, the device was designed to explode and also spray sulfuric acid in the face of the opener. López intended for the device to kill Björk or leave her disfigured, in the event that the bomb killed her, the two would be united in heaven. On September 12, López sent the package to Björk’s residence in London, ostensibly sent by singer’s record label, returned home and filmed his suicide, Björk and Goldie had ended their relationship a few days before. His decomposing body, along with his video diary and handwritten diary detailing his plot to kill Björk, were found by Florida police four days later. After viewing the tapes, police contacted Scotland Yard, who intercepted the package without incident. Although she was safe, Björk left London for Spain on September 20 where she recorded her album Homogenic, and it is thought that the song “So Broken“ (B-side), it reflects the pain and confusion she felt in those moments.. She also hired security for her son, Sindri, who was escorted to school with a minder. A year after Lopez’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.“ Pictures: