Marshall Applewhite
Cult leader and founder of Heaven's Gate
Born
Died
1997
28 years ago — 66 years old
Category
Activists & Humanitarians
Country
United States
Links & References
A cult leader founded the religious group Heaven's Gate in the 1970s. The group combined elements of Christian theology with beliefs in extraterrestrial life. Applewhite led followers in embracing a belief system that proposed spiritual ascension and the possibility of physical transformation into non-human beings. In 1997, the group gained notoriety when 39 members died in a mass suicide in California, believing they would transition to an extraterrestrial spacecraft following the Hale-Bopp comet.
Founded Heaven's Gate in the 1970s
Led a mass suicide in 1997
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