Buzz
Being a celebrity is more than just fame and luxury—it often comes with its own set of challenges. While most fans simply admire their idols, there are others whose fascination becomes far more intense, occasionally leading to unsettling or even disturbing actions.
For these 10 celebrities, fan devotion shifted from mild interest to an unhealthy and bizarre obsession, resulting in gifts that couldn't possibly be found in any store.
10. The Dead Rabbit
Fame and fortune go hand in hand with being a celebrity—along with the attention of fans. Avril Lavigne, with her continued success, is no stranger to receiving gifts from her followers. However, she was not prepared for the strange surprises that came with some of these presents. During an interview, Avril was asked to recall the oddest gift she'd ever received.
For some performers, gifts from fans might include clothing items like bras, shirts, or even underwear. But for one singer, the gift was far from any material possession.
On one of her promotional tours, Avril received an unexpected gift—the body of a dead rabbit. There was no note accompanying it, leaving Avril puzzled about the fan's intentions. However, it is believed that a rabbit can be a symbol of good luck.
Inspired by her first album's title, Avril decided to 'let go' of the unsettling incident and move on, although it's unlikely she would accept any more peculiar gifts in the future.
9. Preserved Baby Shark
The Jonas Brothers—Kevin, Joe, and Nick—became famous largely due to their musical talent and their eventual Disney contracts. Their fans, ranging from teenage girls to adults, are incredibly devoted and sometimes cross the line between fan admiration and obsession.
At times, the Jonas Brothers have had to confront fans who crossed the line, even sneaking into their hotel rooms to deliver unsettling gifts—like a preserved baby shark.
The shark, presented to the brothers by a devoted fan during their tour, came without any explanation. Encased in a tube, the brothers were left wondering about the meaning behind the gift and what they were supposed to do with it.
Accompanying the shark was a brief note that simply read, 'Here’s a dead shark.' The real mystery wasn’t the 'why' but rather the 'how'—how did the fan manage to get their hands on it in the first place?
8. Sperm
The choice to have a family is a personal decision, but it doesn't involve sending one's sperm through the mail to a celebrity in the hope of starting a family. Yet, for actress Tricia Helfer, a fan believed this was the best way to win her attention.
The incident occurred while Tricia was going through her fan mail. She didn't realize what had fallen out of the envelope until she examined the rest of the letter's contents: a photo of a man, woman, and child, alongside a syringe filled with a white liquid, suggesting the fan wanted her to start a family with him right away.
Feeling disturbed and uneasy, Tricia shared the unsettling experience with a colleague at the studio where she was working. Soon after, the police were notified, and detectives managed to trace the fan, though Tricia never disclosed what happened to him.
Tricia Helfer isn’t alone in facing such bizarre fan behavior. In early 2019, singer Iggy Azalea received a vial of semen, though her assistant intercepted it before she could discover it.
7. Breast Implant
The loss of body parts is a macabre and strange theme in zombie lore. Norman Reedus, star of The Walking Dead, knows this all too well. While he's faced fake body parts being thrown at him in fictional zombie battles, he's also had to deal with real body parts being sent to him in the mail.
During an interview, Reedus revealed a breast implant being used as a phone holder in his trailer. The implant was a gift from a fan who believed Reedus was feeling down. Rather than dispose of it, Reedus found the gift amusing and decided to clean it up and display it.
In 2015, Reedus received another breast implant by mail. This time, instead of displaying it, he threw it at his costar Steven Yeun. However, Reedus joked that he wouldn’t mind receiving more implants from fans in the future.
Reedus has continued to receive breast implants, some wrapped in fat and sent to him in jewelry boxes, along with other bizarre gifts such as squirrel meat.
6. Cake With Human Hair
Though 'Let them eat cake' may not have truly come from Marie Antoinette, for Ed Sheeran, cake is a beloved treat. His fans are well aware of his sweet tooth and have taken it upon themselves to send him cakes.
Ed Sheeran has received a variety of gifts over the years, including dolls, necklaces, and baked goods. As he’s known for his love of food, he accepted a cake from a fan, expecting it to be a simple, thoughtful treat.
However, upon taking a bite, Sheeran discovered an unsettling surprise inside. The cake was filled with clumps of the woman’s own hair. While the fan didn’t provide an explanation, Sheeran speculates it may have been their way of trying to be 'inside of him.'
Despite his fondness for cake, Sheeran has since become more cautious when accepting baked gifts from fans, hoping to avoid another strange and hairy surprise.
5. Teeth
Known for her eccentric nature and desire to stand out from the music scene, Kesha has engaged in some rather unusual actions, such as breaking into Prince’s house to play him her music.
It doesn’t seem too surprising that Kesha would request something equally strange from her fans. In this case, she asked them to send her teeth—real teeth—hoping to create something out of them while recovering from an eating disorder in rehab.
Kesha’s fans responded, sending nearly 1,000 teeth. True to her word, Kesha fashioned these teeth into wearable items, including a bra, a headdress, earrings, and a necklace. Notably, the headdress she wears to promote her album Warrior is made from her fans' teeth.
The bizarre collection began when a single fan sent her a tooth, which Kesha turned into a necklace using her own baby teeth. From there, she started collecting the teeth sent to her and eventually made a public request for more, accumulating hundreds.
4. Letter With Menstrual Blood
Receiving letters from dedicated fans is nothing unusual for celebrities, and it’s often a sign that they’re making a name for themselves. For Taecyeon, a member of South Korean boy band 2PM, the shock didn’t come from the message but from the unusual medium it was written with.
Instead of ink, a fan wrote her letter using menstrual blood. She told Taecyeon that she had dedicated her menstrual blood to him and proclaimed that he couldn’t live without her, even though they were strangers. Along with the letter, she included her pubic hair.
At first, many of Taecyeon’s followers believed the letter was a hoax. However, the fan came forward to confirm it was real, revealing that she wasn’t even a fan of the band—she was simply seeking attention.
3. A Baby
Dolly Parton’s fame has transcended genres and eras. Recognized for her iconic big hair and bold personality, Parton’s influence on country music and its fans is undeniable. With her immense popularity, it’s no surprise that she has a dedicated following. However, one particular fan’s gift stands out in a way that no other celebrity has experienced.
When Parton’s hit single “Jolene” topped the country charts in the early 1970s, she may have anticipated that a few women might name their daughters after the song. However, she certainly didn’t expect a new mother to name her baby after the song and then leave the infant on Parton’s doorstep.
Parton discovered the baby girl lying in a box at her front gate. The attached note explained that the child was named Jolene and that her mother wanted Parton to take her. Shocked and deeply concerned for the baby, Parton immediately contacted the Department Of Health And Human Services and took care of the child until they arrived.
There was no further contact from the mother, and Parton never learned what became of the baby after the authorities took her.
2. Human Ear
Jared Leto is no stranger to the bizarre. In fact, at the MET Gala 2019, his date was none other than his own severed head, a tribute to the theme “Camp.” Additionally, while preparing for his role as The Joker in *Suicide Squad*, Leto gifted his castmates with equally peculiar and somewhat unwelcome presents. Leto’s eccentricity seems to encourage similar odd behavior from his fans.
One fan went to extreme lengths by sending Leto, the lead vocalist of 30 Seconds to Mars, their own severed ear. In a 2013 interview, Leto recalled receiving a package that contained the ear along with a note that simply read, “Are you listening?”
There was no explanation for the ear nor any clue about who sent it. Nevertheless, Leto took the strange gift in stride, sharing a picture of it on Twitter. He even made the ear into a necklace by poking a hole through it and wearing it as an accessory.
Although Leto managed to make use of the ear, he did request that his fans refrain from sending him any more body parts.
1. Human Skin
Though it may sound like a scene straight out of a horror movie, Zac Efron wasn’t auditioning for this particular role. Known for his breakout role in Disney’s *High School Musical* and his continuous fame, Efron has certainly experienced his fair share of fan interactions—ranging from heartfelt letters to unexpected visits to his gated community where fans would leave tokens of admiration in his mailbox.
Yet one fan took things to an extreme by mailing Efron a piece of her own skin. The actor, who personally handles his fan mail, was confronted with the grotesque surprise of skin inside an envelope.
Shocked, Efron disposed of the skin and now looks back on the bizarre incident with amusement, joking that he doesn’t really know how else to respond to receiving a piece of someone’s skin.
