'So scary': How stress from a stalker caused singer Jewel to turn grey overnight
Jewel has revealed how a distressing incident with a stalker when she was just 21 caused her hair to turn grey overnight.
The singer-songwriter, who rose to fame following the release of her first album, made the revelation in a TikTok video she released this week to show support for young star Chappell Roan, who recently called out the "abuse and harassment" she had endured from supposed fans since finding fame.
Now Jewel, who was just 21 when Pieces of You was released in 1995 containing the hit songs You Were Meant for Me, Who Will Save Your Soul and Foolish Games, has revealed her own terrifying fan encounter.
Watch the video above.
READ MORE: Elle Macpherson reveals secret cancer battle
Jewel has spoken out about her terrifying experiences as a young singer. TikTok
READ MORE: 1,000-Lb. Sisters star arrested while at zoo with family
"Alright I am weighing in on the [Roan] drama. I saw that she had to turn off her comments because of her recent post about... being stalked," Jewel began.
"And having people grab you in public isn't OK as a celebrity."
Jewel went on to say she found it "really interesting" that a lot of the comments were from people saying "You shouldn't have chosen your job then," before adding she felt the need to speak out.
READ MORE: 'Enough now!': Nat Bass' emotional plea after 'malicious' comments
Jewel revealed her hair turned grey following a terrifying incident with a stalker TikTok
READ MORE: Queen Camilla gives rare update on King's health
"Want to know what is happening under here?" she asked, motioning to her beret, which she took off to reveal her hair.
"You see how grey I am?" Jewel asked. "I went grey overnight when I was 21 years old with my first stalker," she revealed, adding it was "so scary."
"This person was leaving fire bombs outside my house. I was getting death threats saying I would be shot [on] stage," she alleged.
READ MORE: Meghan refused trademark for lifestyle brand
Jewel early in her career. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
READ MORE: One simple fridge change could save $338 a year
Jewel said she had since had "hundreds of stalkers" which caused her to "step back from my own career."
"I quit after Spirit, after Hands, because it was just too much and I have a lot of trauma from my childhood, so fans grabbing me, touching me, turning me around, crowding me, just wasn't good," she said.
Jewel also recounted being chased through airports and abused by people for failing to stop for fear of being mobbed.
READ MORE: Save on cute sandals you can wear to work
Jewel stepped away from her career during its height. Instagram
"I remember a guy calling me a b----, yelling at me through the airport. 'You f---ing b----. You think you're all that," she said.
Jewel said that after stepping back from her career, she learned she could talk to her fans and set boundaries.
"[I would] say, 'You can't come within six feet of me.'"
Jewel then recounted an incident a couple of weeks earlier in Beverly Hills in which she said a fan approached her before they "put their hand out... like a safe gesture [and] only came within six feet of me and said, 'I want to tell you how much I love your music'."
"That was so nice. It made me feel so safe I could choose to take a picture safely," she said.
She ended the video with a message for Roan.
"So Chappell, full support. Like we shouldn't make people feel unsafe. We shouldn't feel entitled to touch their bodies. It's not cool," she said.
"Everybody is worthy of compassion, even if you're rich, even if you're famous."
Jewel, now 50, stepped away from the spotlight just two years after becoming a global superstar. In 2022, she told Spin.com, "I couldn't psychologically adjust to the amount of fame that I got to."
"By the time I was on the cover of Time, it didn't work for me. It was really psychologically crushing and so giving myself two years to contemplate, 'How do I do this? Can I do this? Does this make me happy?'"
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
