Linda Kasabian - a member of the notorious Manson cult led by Charles Manson - has reportedly passed away in Washington State.
TMZ reported that the 73-year-old died in a Tacoma hospital on January 21, with her body subsequently cremated. A cause of death was apparently not disclosed. Though, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ, she had changed her surname to Chiochios to distance herself from the Manson family and protect her identity.
Kasabian had received immunity in exchange for becoming a key prosecution witness in the 1970-1971 Manson trial, and her shocking court testimony helped prosecutors convict Manson and several other cult members, which saw them sent to prison for life.
She acted as a driver and lookout during the nights the Manson family went on a depraved killing spree across Los Angeles in 1969, the Daily Beast detailed.
Having spent his early adulthood in prison, Manson was released in 1967 and moved to California where he managed to attract a group of hippies, and set up a commune on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Eventually, a cult began to form as Manson preached his eccentric religious teachings to his followers, who called themselves a "family," per History.
The cult is notorious for their involvement in the 1969 murder of Roman Polanski's wife, 26-year-old actress Sharon Tate - who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time. She had been stabbed by members of the Manson family up to 16 times, and a rope tied around her neck connected her to the body of celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, according to the Helter Skelter novel by Vincent Bugliosi. The word "PIG" was written on the front door of the house in Tate's blood.
Polanski, now 89, has previously spoken about the tragic murder of his wife and friends, telling Swiss TV in 2011 that he fled Los Angeles for Switzerland soon after Tate's death as a result of the intense media coverage. "Before Manson was found, I was even suspected of being involved. This got the media tremendously excited because I had just finished the film Rosemary's Baby, which is about black magic, so they immediately mixed everything up.
"The media love that kind of story, and it snowballed," he added.
A fictional account of Tate's story hit cinema screens in Quentin Tarantino's last flick, 2019's Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. Margot Robbie starred as the slain actress in the movie, which also includes loose references to the Manson family and its various members.