I'm fairly sure this is an established term. I've certainly heard it a lot off-wiki.
What's That Zach?
Yeah, I've heard this term referred more to a fan that gains popularity as well. I think its fine.
Mighty pirate!
If there are a lot of examples of an independently famous person who is a fan of something, then there's a problem somewhere.
Basically, the fan in question should be well-known (at least to the fandom and/or creators) for being a fan.
Zzzzzzzzzz
I just went through the examples and I wasn't seeing a lot of misuse. If the problem is in the wicks, fix them.
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
I'm pretty sure I'm responsible for a wrong wick in there somewhere. I'm very tired and... Wait, I remember. I'll go clean it up now.
There, incorrect wick in Stan Freberg Presents The United States Of America is now pruned. And now I'm going to open a new thread for something else.
edited 21st Dec '10 6:47:11 AM by BlackWolfe
But soft! What rock through yonder window breaks? It is a brick! And Juliet is out cold.
People are mistaking the meaning behind this one. They think it's a type of famous fan, usually someone more famous than the work in question, like David Bowie being a fan of Arcade Fire (I'm pretty sure that's Colbert Bump they're thinking of). Even Wikipedia knows the distinction
.
Although this seems to be an established term, something less misleading would prevent this. Maybe Fanbase Celebrity.