The Children of the Stars

How Charles Manson courted Hollywood’s impressionable offspring

In early 1968, Charles Manson was living in Topanga Canyon near Los Angeles with several young women. He’d been released from prison nearly a year earlier (March 1967) and initially received approval from his parole officer to live in San Francisco. But by late ’67, Charlie wanted to be closer to Hollywood, in order to find success as a musician.

When he met Deirdre Shaw, aka ‘Didi’, he grew hopeful that her connections would help him find success.

Deirdre ‘Didi’ Shaw was born April of 1953 to famed actress Angela Lansbury and her second husband, Peter Shaw. Didi grew up in Malibu with two older brothers. The children were frequently left in the care of their father while their celebrated mother was traveling the world and by her mid-teens, Didi was dabbling in drugs. Her mother later lamented, “It started with cannabis but moved on to heroin. 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. 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.” — Angela Lansbury quoted in “Angela Lansbury: How Drugs and Divorce Have Shaped My Life” ©May 2014 DailyMail.com