John Hinckley Jr. Now a Struggling Musician

Most musicians dream of name recognition. For John Hinckley Jr., it's the name recognition that's doing him in. The man who shot President Ronald Reagan and three others in a 1981 assassination attempt says he's a changed man but can't shake his poor reputation. "I know I'm known for an act of violence, but I'm a completely different person than in 1981," he says, per WTNH. "I stand for peace now." Hinckley was found to be suffering from acute psychosis when he shot Reagan and was acquitted of the crime by reason of insanity. He spent decades living in a psychiatric hospital before moving in with his mother in 2016. He was granted full freedom in 2022.

In recent years, he's made money selling antiques, books, and his own artwork. He's also trying to make it as a musician, though that's proved difficult, the Guardian reports, noting scheduled shows in four states have been canceled late in the planning. A show scheduled for March 30—the 43rd anniversary of the assassination attempt—at Hotel Huxley in Naugatuck, Connecticut, looked like it might go ahead, as tickets remained on sale Monday. But Hinckley, 68, who reportedly writes and performs his own folk songs, said Tuesday that the event had been postponed. Though he gave no reason, event organizers have previously cited security concerns, hence Hinckley's message. (More John Hinckley stories.)