Religious Figure. He was the leader of an American nontraditional religious group, that was often called a cult by the mainstream population. Sources describe the group as mixing Christianity, with New Age and added extraterrestrial reasoning. Born in a very religious background, he frequently attended church gatherings and even sang in the church choir. His later life was troubled by bouts with the law and frequent other problems. In 1974 on one of his arrests, his mugshot was taken and then later featured in a book about famous mugshots. In 1975, along with his friend Bonnie Lou Nettles, Applewhite co-founded the Religious Group, "Heaven's Gate." After Nettles died in 1985, Applewhite led the group, proclaiming himself leader and that the members call him "Do." By 1997, the group had only 39 members including 21 females, a former cowboy actor, and the younger brother of "Star Trek" actress, Nichelle Nichols. Applewhite brainwashed the members in believing that if they would take their own lives, that UFOs would take their spirits to their mothership, and from there, they would travel with the Hale-Bopp Comet into Heaven. On March 26, 1997, the 38 bodies of the cult members and cult leader Applewhite were found in a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. All 39 had committed suicide over a period of 3 days. After the autopsies and identifications were done, all the bodies were ordered to be cremated. The cult was featured in several books, television, media, and in the film, "Mysterious Two" in 1982, with actor John Forsythe portraying Marshall Applewhite.
Religious Figure. He was the leader of an American nontraditional religious group, that was often called a cult by the mainstream population. Sources describe the group as mixing Christianity, with New Age and added extraterrestrial reasoning. Born in a very religious background, he frequently attended church gatherings and even sang in the church choir. His later life was troubled by bouts with the law and frequent other problems. In 1974 on one of his arrests, his mugshot was taken and then later featured in a book about famous mugshots. In 1975, along with his friend Bonnie Lou Nettles, Applewhite co-founded the Religious Group, "Heaven's Gate." After Nettles died in 1985, Applewhite led the group, proclaiming himself leader and that the members call him "Do." By 1997, the group had only 39 members including 21 females, a former cowboy actor, and the younger brother of "Star Trek" actress, Nichelle Nichols. Applewhite brainwashed the members in believing that if they would take their own lives, that UFOs would take their spirits to their mothership, and from there, they would travel with the Hale-Bopp Comet into Heaven. On March 26, 1997, the 38 bodies of the cult members and cult leader Applewhite were found in a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. All 39 had committed suicide over a period of 3 days. After the autopsies and identifications were done, all the bodies were ordered to be cremated. The cult was featured in several books, television, media, and in the film, "Mysterious Two" in 1982, with actor John Forsythe portraying Marshall Applewhite.
Family Members
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