Singer Debbie Gibson filed for a restraining order Tuesday against a Spanish man who runs a fan club and has allegedly followed her on concert tours and showed up at her door.
Gibson asked that Bassas Jorge Puigdollers, 44, stay 100 yards away, not attempt to contact her by phone or e-mail, and stop attending her concerts, according to court documents filed in Superior Court.
The man, reached by phone in Spain, said he meant no harm.
“I wanted to use the fan club to help people who can’t go see her to get autographs and photos,” he told The Associated Press in Spanish, adding that the correct spelling and order of his name is Jordi Bassas Puigdollers.
Gibson claimed Puigdollers has attended all of her “nationwide performances” since 2002, where he often tries to go backstage to see her and get autographs. He also follows her to her hotel room, according to court papers.
When Puigdollers came to the front door of the Gibson’s Los Angeles home Sunday, the 1980s pop star called police “for fear of my life,” she wrote in court documents.
The Police Department granted Gibson an emergency protective order that expires Friday, according to her court papers.
The emergency order allows Puigdollers to get within 10 yards of Gibson at her concerts, but he still must stay at least 100 yards from her home.
“I understand that she wants her privacy,” said Puigdollers, a taxi driver. “I would like to say I’m sorry. I don’t want problems and I don’t want to bother her so much.”
Puigdollers left a note under Gibson’s door Thursday suggesting that the two meet in El Paso, according to the singer.
“If you like, contact me,” he said in a note that was included with the court documents. He signed it with his phone number in Barcelona and an e-mail that begins “debhead.”
A hearing for Gibson’s request was scheduled for May 28.
Puigdollers said he was not discouraged by Gibson’s attempt to restrict his concert-going. He plans to attend five Gibson concerts at a casino in Atlantic City in May.
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