Marshall Applewhite

Marshall Applewhite

American cult leader (1931–1997)

Marshall Applewhite

Name	Marshall Applewhite
Birth name
Birth date	(1931-05-17)May 17, 1931
Birth place	Spur, Texas, U.S.
Death date	March 26, 1997(1997-03-26) (aged 65)
Death place	Rancho Santa Fe, California, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation	Cult leader
Years active
Organization
Known for	Co-founder of Heaven's Gate
Notable works
Spouse(s)
Website

Marshall Herff Applewhite Jr. (May 17, 1931 – March 26, 1997) was an American cult leader who co-founded the Heaven's Gate religious group and organized their mass suicide in 1997. He was born in Spur, Texas, and was the son of a Presbyterian minister. Applewhite attended several universities and served in the United States Army before beginning his career in education.

Early Life

Applewhite was born in Spur, Texas, to Marshall Herff Applewhite Sr. and Louise Applewhite. He had three siblings. His father was a Presbyterian minister, which influenced Applewhite's early religious beliefs. He attended Austin College and later enrolled at the University of Colorado, where he earned a master's degree in music.

Career

Applewhite pursued a career in education, teaching music at the University of Alabama and later at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. He was known for his charismatic personality and musical talent. However, his career was marred by personal and professional difficulties, including a failed marriage and allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Formation of Heaven's Gate

In the early 1970s, Applewhite met Bonnie Nettles, a nurse with an interest in theosophy and biblical prophecy. The two formed a close bond and began to develop a set of beliefs that combined elements of Christianity, New Age spirituality, and science fiction. They believed they were the two witnesses described in the Book of Revelation and that they were on a mission to prepare for the arrival of a spacecraft that would take their followers to a higher level of existence.

Applewhite and Nettles adopted the names "Bo" and "Peep" and later "Do" and "Ti." They traveled across the United States, recruiting followers and spreading their message. Their group, which came to be known as Heaven's Gate, emphasized asceticism, communal living, and the renunciation of earthly attachments.

Mass Suicide

In March 1997, Applewhite and 38 of his followers committed suicide in a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. They believed that their deaths would allow them to board a spacecraft trailing the Comet Hale–Bopp and ascend to a higher plane of existence. The group ingested a lethal mixture of phenobarbital and vodka and placed plastic bags over their heads to induce asphyxiation. The event was one of the largest mass suicides in U.S. history and drew significant media attention.

Legacy

Applewhite's life and the Heaven's Gate mass suicide have been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and academic studies. The group's website, maintained by surviving members, remains online as a testament to their beliefs.

See also

• List of cults
• Mass suicide
• Religious movements