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12th October 2022
08:49am BST
Angela Lansbury in 1987 in Los Angeles, California ( Photo by Paul Harris/Getty Images )[/caption]
Lansbury said the troubles with Diedre and her older son Anthony, now 70, began in the 1960s when they began taking drugs.
"It started with cannabis but moved on to heroin," the Sweeney Todd star explained adding that their drug use brought her children, who were just teens at the time, into bad circles.
'There were factions up in the hills above Malibu that were dedicated to deadly pursuits," she continued. "It pains me to say it but, at one stage, Deidre was in with a crowd led by Charles Manson."
Manson was eventually was convicted 1971 of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for seven murders committed by his followers in 1969.
[caption id="attachment_363033" align="alignnone" width="2048"]
(Original Caption) Angela Lansbury is kissed by her children, Dede, 16, and Anthony, 17, following her opening night performance in "Dear World" at the Mark Hellinger Theatre here Feb. 6th. "Dear World" is a plush musical version of the famous Jean Giraudoux comedy indicting materialism, "The Madwoman of Chaillot".[/caption]
Although he is not believed to have explicitly ordered the killings, his behaviour and teachings convinced a jury that he was responsible for the murders.
"She was one of many youngsters who knew him — and they were fascinated," Lansbury continued. "He was an extraordinary character, charismatic in many ways, no question about it."
Worried over the kind of trouble her daughter might get into if she stayed in Manson's circle, Lansbury proposed a major move overseas.
[caption id="attachment_363037" align="alignnone" width="1622"]
In this handout, American criminal and cult leader Charles Manson (1934 - 2017) in a mug shot at the California Department of Corrections, US, August 1996. (Photo by Kypros/Getty Images)[/caption]
''I said to [husband] Peter [Shaw], 'We have to leave.' So we upped sticks and moved the family to a house I found in County Cork,' she said.
"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," Lansbury continued.
"So I refused all work for a year and simply kept house. I bought Elizabeth David's books and learnt how to cook properly,' she added, referencing the popular British cooking writer. 'It was a wonderful time in my life."
In a statement, her family announced that she died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles on Tuesday (11 October). Lansbury was perhaps best known for starring in the popular crime drama series Murder, She Wrote where she played fictional writer and sleuth Jessica Fletcher. [caption id="attachment_363032" align="alignnone" width="1543"]
Angela Lansbury's daughter Deirdre cries during a memorial service for her father, Peter Shaw, at the Brentwood Presbyterian Church on February 9, 2003 in Brentwood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)[/caption]
She appeared in 12 seasons of the show, winning four Golden Globes for her work in the programme.
The actress was also Oscar-nominated three times for the iconic movies Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Manchurian Candidate before receiving an Academy Honourary Award in 2013.
On top of this, Angela Lansbury also had voice roles in the popular Disney animations Anastasia and Beauty and the Beast.
Born in London, Lansbury's mother was Irish actress Moyna Macgill, with Lansbury later spending part of her life living in Cork.Explore more on these topics:
