HomeWHATWhat Did Stacy Arthur Die From

What Did Stacy Arthur Die From

Playboy Bunny Stacy Arthur was the magazine’s rising star with sights on being crowned Playmate of the Year.

But the young blonde model’s dream came to a bloody and tragic end.

Just 18 months after she embarked on a quest to become the magazine’s star pin-up, her beloved husband was shot dead by an obsessed fan who became “agitated” after she told him it was time to “take a break”.

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Stacy was in her early 20s when she was in the frame to be named Playmate of the Year 1991.

Just over a year earlier she was still working in a craft store in the city of Bellefontaine, Ohio.

Stacy went from retail worker to Playboy cover girl in just 18 months

Her husband Jim Arthur, then 34, was by her side as her partner and manager, even helping her do her hair and nails.

At the time, Playboy, headed up by the late mogul Hugh Hefner, had launched a special hotline that fans could call to vote for their Playmate of the Year or even talk to their favourite Bunnies.

Desperate to win, Stacy, whose story was featured in the second episode of Discovery’s Playboy Murders, took the line very seriously.

But it led to harrowing tragedy.

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James Lindberg, a “lonely” trucker from Woodland, California, was a frequent caller. He loved talking to Playmates and quickly developed an obsession with Stacy, who established a rapport with him.

Trucker, James Lindburg spent a record $15,000 on calling Stacy – a Playboy record

Corina Harney, Playmate of the year 1992, has since commented on Lindberg: “He was so emotionally serious. He didn’t have a sense of humour, and I thought that’s not right.

“He made me feel kind of sad and bad. He got upset and mad. Like turn on a dime.”

The trucker, then 37, called the hotline and said: “It’s James Lindberg and this message is for Stacey Arthur. I want her to, I want her to know that I’m in love with her.”

The pair became “pseudo friends”. Stacy even became worried when Lindberg didn’t call for a week.

She left him a voice message, saying: “I missed you tonight on the line. I waited and waited for you to call, and you didn’t.

He responded: “I do love you. I’m in love with you. And it hurts.”

Stacy decided enough was enough and called off her ‘friendship’ with James (Image: Youtube/Jimmy Carter)

Lindberg spent more than $15,000 ($32,000 today) on the line to Stacy, a Playboy record.

He also sent her 70 pink balloons to the Playboy Mansion after he found out it was her favourite colour.

But his obsession grew, prompting Stacy to put an end to their relationship.

She told Lindberg: “I really think it’s going to be best if we take a break. I just don’t think it’s worth it.

“It was nice talking to you and I felt we developed a really good friendship.”

Lindberg was heartbroken and furious.

Jim, pictured with Stacy, was confronted by James after he travelled 2,000 miles to Bellefontaine (Image: Amazon)
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On October 20, 1991, he travelled 2,000 miles from Sacramento, California, hoping to meet Stacy in the flesh.

He stayed in a motel for a few days, decorating it with pictures of her. He had with him 32 tape recordings of their conversations.

On a visit to a gift shop to buy Stacy a gift, he ran into her husband Jim.

He asked Jim to give her the present, but got an angry response.

Jim apparently later told Stacy: “If this gentleman comes looking for me again, call the police as he seems agitated.”

Vengeful Lindberg returned with a handgun and shot Jim dead in the street in front of two dozen witnesses.

The attack was cold-blooded and vicious. He shot Jim once in the face, twice in the chest and three times in the back.

Playboy models were desperate to win Playmate of the year, and chatting to fans could give them a boost (Image: Getty Images)

Lindberg then turned the gun on himself, shooting himself in the head.

After her husband’s death, Stacy commented: “When someone’s gunned down who you love in cold blood, that’s beyond being able to describe the amount of pain you go through.”

In 1992, Stacy filed a $70million lawsuit against Playboy and other parties, alleging she was raped by three company employees at the Playboy Mansion in October, 1991.

She alleged that inaction by the magazine had led to the death of her husband, but a deputy district attorney decided against proceeding, citing inconsistencies in her account of events.

The employees’ claims that the sex was consensual was accepted and they were fired for violating company policy by having sex during work hours.

By this point, Playboy had severed ties with Stacy.

She died in 2019 at the age of 50 after a brief illness.

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