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Angela Lansbury passed away on Tuesday at the of 96. As news of the actress' death makes headlines, an interview where she explained how she saved her daughter from falling in with Charles Manson’s cult has resurfaced online. Fans of the actress have been stunned since hearing about the story.
In a 2014 interview, the Murder, She Wrote actress recalled a difficult time in her life. Angela Lansbury explained how her daughter Deidre Shaw began mingling with Manson and his posse. Lansbury explained:
“She was one of many youngsters who knew him and they were fascinated. He was an extraordinary character, charismatic in many ways, no question about it.”
As her daughter Deidre merged with the cult, the actress’ son Anthony fell into drugs as well.
At the time, Lansbury, her husband, Peter Shaw, and their children resided in Malibu. The Gaslight actress recalled that factions of the city were “dedicated to deadly pursuits.”
“My children wouldn’t be exposed to any more bad influences”: Angela Lansbury explains move to Ireland
The actress explained that her children initially started consuming cannabis and then they later moved on to heroin. After understanding the severity of the situation, Lansbury and her husband decided to unroot their family from the popular Californian city to Ireland. Lansbury explained:
“We upped sticks and moved the family to a house I found in County Cork. I was drawn to Ireland because it was the birthplace of my mother and it was also somewhere my children wouldn’t be exposed to any more bad influences.”
The five-time Tony winner went on to take a break from her acting career and devote her life to raising her teenage children. She reportedly also learned how to cook and garden. Speaking about their time spent in Ireland, Angela Lansbury explained:
“Certainly, I have no doubt we would have lost one or both of our two if they hadn’t been removed to a completely different milieu, the simplicity of life in Ireland. In the end we found a doctor who prescribed methadone, a heroin substitute, which helped with the withdrawal symptoms as Anthony and Deidre were weaned off hard drugs. We were so very, very lucky we spotted what was happening just in time.”
Netizens moved by actress’ “motherly instincts”
Internet users applauded Angela Lansbury's decision to move her family to another continent altogether. Several fans expressed shock over the story as they were unaware of the specifics of Lansbury’s personal life.
Netizens were also in awe of the Blue Hawaii actress’ devotion to her children. Many were impressed with her swift decision-making skills to remove her children from bad environments. A few tweets online read:
Charles Manson led the South California commune and cult, Manson Family, in the late 1960s. Several members of the group were accused of committing nine murders between July and August of 1969. This also included the infamous slaying of Sharon Tate, the wife of Roman Polanski, who was pregnant and the time of her death.
Charles Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, despite never planning the murders himself. He died behind bars in 2017.
Angela Lansbury's children, Deidre and Anothony are now 69 and 70 years old respectively.
