John Hinckley, the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan four decades ago, will be playing a sold-out show in Brooklyn this summer.
Hinckley first announced the July 8 concert taking place at the Market Hotel in Brooklyn, New York, on Twitter on April 8 and days later revealed that the tickets had sold out. Tickets were selling for $20. The venue has a capacity of 450 people but it's unclear how many tickets were sold for the show, the Daily Mail reported.
While Hinckley will forever be known for his 1981 attempted assassination, he now is a singer and guitarist who performs covers and original songs to more than 26,000 subscribers on YouTube.
The response to the Market Hotel's decision to host Hinckley has been divided. While many expressed excitement to see him live and in person, others chided the venue for giving him a platform and putting him in the spotlight. The Market Hotel responded to the backlash in a tweet defending Hinckley.
"The man served 40 years in prison/mental health treatment, paid his debt to society," the tweet read. "Several darlings of indie music had mental health issues + committed violence/tried to kill people. Daniel Johnston for instance attempted murder more than once and tried to crash an airplane."
Hinckley's failed assassination attempt was to impress Jodie Foster, who according to reports he was obsessed with, and while the outcome was not what he had intended, the shooting left Reagan press secretary James Brady paralyzed, and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty injured, according to Mediaite.
Ultimately, Hinckley was found not guilty by reasons of insanity and spent 35 years in a psychiatric hospital. According to the Daily Mail, he was later diagnosed with narcissistic and schizoid personality disorders. Hinckley was released from the hospital in 2016 and his restrictions were lessened, with all restrictions to be relieved in June 2022.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.