Angela Lansbury Moved Her Family To Ireland To Save Her Daughter Who Met And Fell For Charles Manson

Parents often worry about the company their children keep, and Angela Lansbury had a particularly serious reason to be concerned about her daughter.

The beloved star of "Nanny McPhee" passed away in October 2022, just a few days before her 97th birthday.

Her family released a touching statement at the time, sharing with her fans that the actress had 'died peacefully'.

The statement said: "The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 AM today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday."

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Although Lansbury spent much of her life in Los Angeles, there was a time when she relocated all the way to Ireland.

She once revealed to The Daily Mail that her move from the sunny skies of LA to the rugged landscapes of Ireland in the 60s was driven by her need to rescue her daughter from Charles Manson. 

Manson, the infamous cult leader, was responsible for the murder of Hollywood actress Sharon Tate and several others.

In a 2014 interview, Lansbury disclosed that her daughter Deidre had gotten mixed up with a dangerous group led by Manson. She described it by saying:

"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."

Lansbury also revealed that her children, Deidre and her older son Anthony, had been caught up in drug use, starting with cannabis and escalating to heroin.

Angela Lansbury and daughter Deidre Angela Shaw pictured in 2000 (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

This troubling path led them into 'unsavoury circles', which prompted Lansbury and her husband Peter Shaw to relocate to County Cork, Ireland—her mother's birthplace.

"I said to Peter [Shaw, her husband], 'We have to leave'. 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.

"Anthony pulled right out of his bad habits quite quickly. It took Deidre a little longer, but she finally got married and she and her husband now live in Los Angeles, where they run their own Italian restaurant." 

Regarding Deidre's interaction with Manson, Lansbury remarked: "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."

Charles Manson passed away in November 2017 at the age of 83, still incarcerated.

The California Department of Corrections reported that the notorious cult leader died of natural causes. 

Charles Manson during his 1970 trial (Bettmann/Getty Images)

Throughout his long incarceration, Manson was denied parole 12 times. 

He was convicted in 1970 and received nine life sentences for orchestrating the murders of Tate, Jay Sebring, Voytek Frykowski, Abigail Folger, Steven Parent, Leno LaBianca, Gary Hinman, and Donald 'Shorty' Shea. 

The youngest of his victims was only 18 years old.