NEW YORK – Singer Lana Del Rey broke down in tears at a concert and acknowledged feeling jitters after police arrested a stalker who allegedly wanted to kidnap her.
The 32-year-old artist, known for her melancholic baroque pop and tales of ill-fated love, said she was feeling “a little more emotional than I thought” as she opened a concert in Atlanta on Monday night (Feb 5) .
“I was feeling totally fine and then I just got a little bit nervous right when I got on stage,” Del Rey said as she wiped her cheeks with her hands and paced the stage, the crowd hollering its support.
“I just want to say that I’m super happy to be with you guys and if I’m a little bit feathery, just bear with me.”
She was referring to an incident shortly before her previous concert last Friday in Orlando where police said they arrested 43-year-old Michael Hunt after being tipped off to threatening social media posts.
Hunt was arrested a block away from the concert venue with a knife and a ticket to the concert, police said.
He was being held without bond on charges of attempted kidnapping with a weapon and aggravated stalking with a credible threat, court documents showed. He did not immediately enter a plea.
Hunt’s Facebook page, which remained up on Tuesday, showed a round-the-clock obsession with Del Rey interspersed with apocalyptic warnings about the world as well as more obscure bugbears, such as outrage over a group of naked bicyclists.
Hunt, who lives some 135km away in the western Florida city of Riverview, posted Del Rey’s I Still Love Him and appeared to portray himself as the song’s subject.
“I love you so much Lana(.) I can’t wait to be back in your arms in a few days,” he posted, declaring that everyone at the concert “will know who I am when I get there.”
