Wyclef Jean is receiving anonymous death threats after his bid for presidency in his native Haiti provoked fury from some locals.
The former Fugees frontman announced his plans to run for office earlier this month (Aug10), following January's (10) devastating earthquake.
He's previously admitted he fears dying in Haiti's slums as he embarks on the campaign trail, saying: "Assassination is always a possibility but I'd rather die trying to achieve something than die doing nothing."
Now Jean is receiving threatening messages warning him to quit the election race.
In an email to CNN on Tuesday (17Aug10), he reveals, "We have been getting threats since last night telling me if I know what's good for me, I would get out (of) the country."
His lawyer Berto Dorce adds, "Wyclef has been repeatedly getting anonymous threats from people who are saying that he should think twice before running for the president. We cannot tell who are sending these threats, but the closer the announcement, the more threats Jean is getting."
Jean and other presidential hopefuls will find out on Friday (20Aug10) if they are eligible to run for office after a ruling on Tuesday was postponed.
An official candidate for president must have lived in Haiti for five consecutive years before the election and there have been claims Jean does not fulfil the criteria - but Dorce is adamant the star will be approved.
He says, "His candidacy has been contested and we went to court and proved that he is legally entitled to run for president. Jean's position is pretty strong. He should be on the list.
"Wyclef has been a shareholder of the local TV corporation called Telemax, and was paying taxes at least for five years; this was sufficient for the Justice of the Peace to issue a certificate of residence for Mr. Wyclef and confirm his residency."