Ever wonder why parents give the side-eye to some of your friends? Well, Angela Lansbury had more than good reason to be wary when it came to her daughter’s associates.
The beloved Nanny McPhee actress passed away in October 2022, just shy of her 97th birthday.
Her family released a touching statement at the time, sharing that Lansbury ‘died peacefully.’
It read: “The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 AM today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday.”
Although Lansbury called Los Angeles home for many years, there was a time when she relocated halfway around the world to Ireland.
Lansbury once told The Daily Mail that she moved from the sunny shores of LA to the wild landscapes of Ireland in the 60s to rescue her daughter from the grips of Charles Manson.
Manson, the infamous cult leader, orchestrated the murder of Hollywood actress Sharon Tate and several others.
In a 2014 interview, Lansbury shared that her daughter Deidre had fallen in with a dangerous crowd led by Manson, noting: “There were factions up in the hills above Malibu that were dedicated to deadly pursuits.
“It pains me to say it but, at one stage, Deidre was in with a crowd led by Charles Manson.”
Lansbury revealed that both her daughter and her older son Anthony had succumbed to drug addiction, starting with cannabis and escalating to heroin.
This troubling situation led the concerned mother to move her family to County Cork, Ireland, where her mother was born.
“I said to Peter [Shaw, her husband], ‘We have to leave’. 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.
“Anthony quickly overcame his bad habits. It took Deidre a little longer, but she eventually settled down, got married, and now she and her husband run an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles,” Lansbury added.
Lansbury also reflected on Deidre’s relationship with Manson, stating: “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.”
Manson passed away in November 2017 at the age of 83, still incarcerated. The California Department of Corrections reported that he died of natural causes.
During his long imprisonment, Manson was denied parole 12 times.
He was convicted in 1970 and sentenced to nine life terms for his role in the murders of Tate, Jay Sebring, Voytek Frykowski, Abigail Folger, Steven Parent, Leno LaBianca, Gary Hinman, and Donald ‘Shorty’ Shea, with the youngest victim being only 18 years old.