Ronald Reagan’s would-be-assassin is posting covers to Youtube

John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is spending his autumn years sharing covers and original songs to YouTube.

John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate Reagan on March 30th 1981 outside Washington Hill Hotel. Hickley fired six shots, hitting four men: Reagan; James S. Brady, the White House press secretary; Timothy J. McCarthy, a Secret Service agent; and Thomas K. Delahanty, a Washington police officer. James S. Brady sustained permanent brain damage, eventually succumbing to his injuries in 2014.

In a contensious ruling, a joury found Mr. Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity. He was sent for treatment to St. Elizabeths, a psychiatric hospital in Washington, where he stayed for several decades. Throughout his stay at St Elizabeths Mr. Hinckley suffered a variety of illnesses, attempting suicide several times.

Mr. Hinckley was released in August 2017, after his doctors declared he had been largely free of mental illness for over 20 years. Judge Paul L. Friedman of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that Hinckley was no longer a danger to himself or others, and was allowed to live permanently with his elderly mother in Williamsburg, Va.

In 2020, Hinckley, a longtime music lover, was granted permission to publicly post and legally sell his art, writings, and songs, something he was initially banned from doing as part of his treatment plan. In November that year, he started up a YouTube channel, of which he’s shared a number of videos.

Hinckley has delivered covers of Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin In The Wind’, and Elvis’ ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’. He’s also shared four original, swoon-inducing love songs. One song in particular, ‘Majesty Of Love’, has amassed over 50,000 views.

“When every couple settles down / Goodness will be found / This is the majesty of love” he sings. There’s kind of a John Prine quality to em. Listen below.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.

Subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine

Subscribe to Rolling Stone magazine