Bernard A. Ortiz, 55, was taken into custody Saturday on an outstanding felony warrant for stalking out of Tucson, Ariz., Ronstadt’s hometown. “I love her,” Ortiz told reporters as he was being transported to jail in Phoenix. “I just wanted to be there for her. That’s all.”

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Tucson police alerted his office after being tipped off that Ortiz planned to attend Ronstadt’s show at the Sundome.

Arpaio said Ortiz was easy to spot since he was dressed in a white tuxedo and carrying a rose for the singer. He was arrested some three hours before Ronstadt took the stage.

Ronstadt’s representatives did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

“For three years, he’s been stalking this entertainer,” Arpaio said. “We’re glad to get him off the street.”Officers later searched Ortiz’s car and found that he obtained tickets to Saturday’s concert by having them mailed to him in Denver under a fake name.

Authorities said Ortiz has been sending Ronstadt cards and love letters for years. He was sentenced to a 10-month prison term in August 1998 for stalking her.

Ronstadt has had a nearly 30-year singing career with numerous hit singles like “Blue Bayou” and “You’re No Good.”

In recent years, she has garnered acclaim for her Spanish language recordings, and her collaborations with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. Ronstadt rarely tours but she and Harris performed several dates together last year.