Marshall Applewhite

Religious Leader

Birthday May 17, 1931

Birth Sign Taurus

Birthplace Texas

DEATH DATE Mar 26, 1997 (65)

#56381 Most Popular

About

Cult leader who led the Heaven's Gate cult to their deaths via mass suicide in 1997. Thirty-nine members of the group lost their lives, making it the largest mass suicide in United States history to that point.

Before Fame

He served in the Army Signal Corps before earning a Master's degree in Music from the University of Colorado.

Trivia

He believed that extraterrestrials communicated with him via the television show Star Trek and would often quote the show to his followers.

Family Life

He was married to Ann Pearce until 1968.

Associated With

He and Charles Manson are two of the most notorious cult leaders in American history.