Some fans buy concert tickets. Some write letters. And some apparently look at the criminal code and think, "sounds fun."

Fame has always done weird things to people, but celebrity culture has created an especially bizarre category of behavior: the fan who becomes convinced that doing something unhinged is somehow the fastest way to a celebrity's heart. Most of us understand that celebrities are just strangers with bigger bank accounts and better lighting. A small number of people, however, seem to believe that grand gestures work like side quests in a Grand Theft Auto.

The following stories are all true. One man allegedly robbed a bank to impress Taylor Swift. One of Michael Jackson's biggest hits was inspired by a fan who wouldn't stop claiming he had fathered her children. And a man has spent what equates to a small apartment on becoming his idol.

1. The Man Who Thought Bank Robbery Was Romantic

In April 2018, Connecticut resident Bruce Rowley walked into a bank, handed a teller a note demanding money, and left with about $1,600. Did he need a new car? Was he behind on his mortgage payments? No. He wanted to impress Taylor Swift.

According to investigators, he drove roughly 60 miles to Swift's Rhode Island home and threw some of the stolen cash over the property's fence. Police believed he hoped the gesture would win her affection and even planned to propose. Swift wasn't home, so probably watched the whole thing on her ring doorbell.

Eventually, Rowley led police on a pursuit before being arrested and charged with robbery and larceny.

The most baffling part isn't that he was caught. It's that somewhere in his decision-making process, his brain apparently connected these dots:

"I like Taylor Swift."

"Taylor Swift is successful."

"Successful people appreciate bold gestures."

"Therefore... bank robbery."

Even the world's greatest relationship advice column couldn't work backwards from that conclusion.

2. The Fan Who Accidentally Inspired "Billie Jean"

Unlike the bank robber, the woman connected to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" never committed a crime to get her idols attention, she instead insisted he had fathered her children.

In his autobiography Moonwalk, Jackson explained that the song was inspired by several women who falsely claimed he had fathered their children during the height of the Jackson 5's fame. One woman stood out because she repeatedly sent letters insisting he was the father of her twin sons, despite the fact that Jackson said he had never even met her.

The experience stayed with him long enough to inspire one of the biggest songs in music history.

It's a strange chain reaction when you think about it. One person sends obsessive letters. Another person writes a song about obsession. The song sells millions of copies, wins Grammy Awards, and becomes one of the defining tracks of the 1980s.

Humanity somehow turned a restraining-order scenario into one of the greatest bass lines ever recorded.

Perhaps the strangest irony is that "Billie Jean" became a timeless warning about obsession because someone was, in fact, obsessively refusing to let go.

3.

One Guy Didn't Just Stan Justin Bieber...He Tried to Become Him

Everyone has looked in the mirror and thought, "I wish I had that guy's hair." Most people respond by buying a good hair gel. Tobias Strebel responded by dropping roughly $100,000 on plastic surgery.

Better known as Toby Sheldon, Strebel spent years trying to emulate Justin Bieber. Hair transplants. Eyelid surgery. Lip procedures. Botox.

The strangest part is that he wasn't trying to become a generic handsome celebrity. He was chasing incredibly specific Bieber features. In interviews, he explained that what he really wanted was Bieber's smile because he believed it gave him that permanently youthful look. Imagine spending the price of a Ferrari because someone else's upper lip had better branding.

The obsession became so extreme that he appeared on reality shows like My Strange Addiction and Botched, openly discussing his transformation while surgeons gently tried to explain that there are limits to what medicine (and basic human anatomy) can accomplish.

It's one thing to spend thousands trying to look younger. It's another to spend six figures trying to convince strangers you're the long lost twin of Justib Bieber.

Fame Makes Strange Things Happen

One man allegedly believed stealing money would impress a pop superstar.

One fan inspired a global hit by refusing to accept that reality existed.

One man wanted to become a clone of a teenage heartthrob.

They're funny because they're so absurd, but they're also reminders that celebrity culture has always encouraged some people to blur the line between admiration and obsession.

Thankfully, most fans express their appreciation by buying albums or attending concerts.

Because history has already shown us what happens when someone decides that the logical next step is robbing a bank, mailing thousands of delusional letters, or requiring a cosmetic surgeons assistance.