EMINEM is a global megastar, thanks to his incredible career as a rapper.

One song in his back catalogue that really sticks out is the tragic story of Stan, with some fans still wondering if it is based on real life events.

Is Stan by Eminem a true story?

Eminem’s Stan was a huge hit for the rapper and features vocals sampled from the opening lines of the singer Dido’s song Thank You.

It was released on November 20, 2000, as the third single from the rapper’s third album, The Marshall Mathers LP.

The song tells the story of a person named Stanley “Stan” Mitchell, who claims to be Eminem’s biggest fan, and the lengths he goes to when he thinks he is being ignored by the rapper.

The tragic tale is not a true story and, according to Eminem, Stan was conceptual, and a result of his imagination following his experiences and interactions with fans.

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Eminem performing Stan with Dido in 2000Credit: Getty – Contributor
It has been suggested the name “Stan” is a combination of the words stalker and fan, though it is unknown if the name was chosen with that intention.

The eponymous character’s name also gave rise to a slang term that refers to overzealous, maniacal, overly obsessed, entitled fans of a celebrity.

Who is in the cast of the Stan music video?

Directed by Dr Dre and Philip Atwell, the video is a literal interpretation of the story.

The video features Devon Sawa as Stan and singer Dido as his pregnant girlfriend.

A prologue involves Stan dyeing his hair blonde and reacting angrily to being called “Stanley” by his girlfriend.

Later, he sits in a basement full of Eminem’s posters, writing letters that express his devotion as “your (Eminem’s) biggest fan”.

He wants Eminem to contact him through a personal letter or a phone call, but due to unfortunate circumstances, the letters fail to reach Eminem in a timely manner.

Believing he has been ignored, Stan uses a tape recorder to record himself driving along a rain-soaked highway while his girlfriend is locked up in the trunk.

The car then breaks through the bridge barrier, killing both Stan and his girlfriend.

Eminem finally gets around to responding to Stan’s letter and apologises for being late, thanks him for being a fan, and expresses interest in Stan’s personal life.

Eminem worries about Stan’s mental state and says he does not want Stan to end up like a story he had seen on the news recently – a man who had driven drunk off a bridge with his girlfriend in the boot.

He then realises that was Stan, and says the famous line: “It was you. Damn.”

Did Stan win any awards?

The song was nominated for multiple awards, including Best Song at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

It won Best International Artist Video at the MuchMusic Video Awards.

In April 2011, Complex magazine put together a list of the 100 greatest Eminem songs and ranked Stan in second place, behind Lose Yourself.