The late Angela Lansbury – who died Tuesday morning at her Los Angeles home just days shy of her 97th birthday – once had to rescue her daughter from the clutches of murder convicted Charles Manson.
In a 2014 interview with DailyMail.com, Lansbury revealed Diedre, now 69, started running with a mob led by the musician-turned-mass-murderer in the 1960s.
In order to protect her daughter and the rest of her family, the Murder actress She Wrote moved her entire family from their home in Los Angeles to Ireland, where her mother’s family was originally from.
Angela Lansbury revealed to DailyMail.com in 2014 that her daughter Diedre (pictured; now 69) was briefly drawn into Charles Manson’s circle in the 1960s; Lansbury and Diedre seen in 2000 in Beverly Hills
Getting Out of Town: In order to protect her family from Manson and drugs, the Murder actress She Wrote moved her entire family from their Los Angeles home to Ireland; Manson pictured in 1969 as he is escorted to arraignment
Lansbury said the problems with Diedre and his eldest son Anthony, now 70, began in the 1960s when they got high on drugs.
“It started with cannabis, but moved on to heroin,” the Sweeney Todd star explained.
Their drug use landed her children, who were then just teenagers, in unsavory circles.
“There were factions in the hills above Malibu that were dedicated to murderous pursuits,” she continued. “It pains me to say this but, at one point, Deidre was with a crowd led by Charles Manson.”
Like some of Manson’s followers, who would later commit the horrific Tate-LaBianca murders, Diedre was said to have been drawn to the charms of cult leaders.
“She was one of many young people who knew him – and they were fascinated,” Lansbury continued. “He was an extraordinary character, charismatic in many ways, there’s no doubt about it.”
Bad influence: Lansbury said Diedre (pictured) and his son Anthony started using heavy drugs in the 60s, and Diedre became ‘fascinated’ with Manson; Angela and Diedre seen in 1989 in LA
Chilling: ‘He was an extraordinary character, charismatic in many ways, there’s no doubt about it’; Manson is pictured in his 1969 mugshot
Fearing the kind of trouble his daughter might get into if she remained in Manson’s circle, Lansbury proposed a major move abroad.
”I said to [husband] Rock [Shaw], “We have to leave.” So we raised the sticks and moved the family to a house I found in County Cork,’ she said, explaining that it was a kind of homecoming, even though she was born in London.
“I was drawn to Ireland because it was my mother’s birthplace and it was also a place where my children would no longer be exposed to bad influences,” Lansbury continued. “I still have a house there that I try to visit at least once a year.
“So I refused all work for a year and just kept the house. I bought Elizabeth David’s books and learned how to cook properly,” she added, referring to the famous British writer. “It was a wonderful time in my life.”
A change of scenery proved to be just the prescription for her children, who thrived in Ireland.
“Anthony got out of his bad habits pretty quickly,” Lansbury explained. “It took Deidre a little longer, but she eventually got married and she and her husband now live in Los Angeles, where they run their own Italian restaurant.”
It’s time to change: “I said to [husband] Rock [Shaw], “We have to leave.” So we raised the sticks and moved the family to a house I found in County Cork,’ she said; Lansbury seen with husband Peter Shaw and son Anthony in 1979 in New York
Anthony would later follow in his mother’s footsteps in the entertainment industry, and the two even collaborated when he directed 68 episodes of her Murder series, She Wrote.
Even though everything worked out with his family, the thought of what might have happened to his children still scared Lansbury decades later.
‘It fills me with dread. Peter and I had no idea what happened,” she admitted. “But then we had no experience with drugs. We didn’t know the importance of finding a pipe in a drawer. Why would we? And when we did, we didn’t know how to help them. There were also no experts at the time who could offer advice to parents of children from good families who used and sometimes overdosed on drugs. It was like an epidemic.
“Certainly I have no doubt that we would have lost one or both of our two if they had not been moved to a completely different environment, the simplicity of life in Ireland,” she added. .
“Eventually we found a doctor who prescribed methadone, a heroin substitute, which helped with withdrawal symptoms as Anthony and Deidre were weaned off hard drugs. We were so lucky to have spotted what was happening just in time.
Safe haven: “Certainly I have no doubt that we would have lost one or both of our two if they had not been moved to a completely different environment, the simplicity of life in Ireland,” he said. -she adds; Lansbury seen with Diedre and Anthony in 1957
Manson was eventually convicted in 1971 of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for seven murders committed by his followers in 1969.
Although he is not suspected of having explicitly ordered the murders, his behavior and teachings convinced a jury that he was responsible for the murders.
On the night of August 8-9, Manson supporters murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate (who was director Roman Polanski’s wife), along with her friend Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger of the Folger family, the writer and Polish director Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent. On August 10, Manson’s supporters broke into the home of Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary and brutally murdered them.
Manson died in prison in 2017 at the age of 83.
Diedre’s connection to Manson does not appear to have been close enough to implicate him in the 1969 cult murders, as Lansbury told RadioTimes in 2017 that the family moved after their home burned down in 1970.
She said Anthony and Diedre needed to learn to cook and garden to be independent in their new Irish home.
In Jeff Guinn’s 2014 book Manson: The Life And Times Of Charles Manson, he noted that Diedre never moved in full-time with the Manson cult, but she was always useful to him, as he and other members of the Manson family went to stock up. clothes or car parts without worrying about the cost, because Didi paid for everything with her mother’s credit cards.
However, they were eventually called off and she reportedly withdrew from Manson’s circle.
Behind Bars: Manson was convicted in 1971 of leading his followers to kill seven people in 1969, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate. He died in prison in 2017; seen in 1970