Linda Kasabian, member of the “Manson Family” and key witness in the murder of Sharon Tate, is dead. She died on January 21, 2023 at the age of 73 in a hospital in Tacoma, Washington. Her death has only just been announced, but the cause of death has not. After the trial for the Tate LaBianca murders, she changed her name to Chiochios and retired with her daughter.
Kasabian, then 20, drove the getaway car of cult members Charles “Tex” Watson, Patricia “Katie” Krenwinkel and Susan “Sadie” Atkins. In August 1969, the three murdered the then heavily pregnant actress with her unborn baby and the four other people present. The following day, the couple Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were killed by Manson supporters without Kasabian being present, according to testimony in court. Through their testimony at the trial, several members, including the surviving Watson and Krenwinkel, and Charles Manson, were sentenced to death. After California’s abolition, the sentence was changed to life imprisonment. Kasabian himself was charged, but released on probation as a key witness.
The British rock band of the same name was named after Linda Kasabian
In 2009 she spoke about her experiences in the cult in an interview with Larry King. In addition, the British indie rock band Kasabian named after her. Their seventh album THE ALCHEMIST’S EUPHORIA was released in 2022. It was the first without their original singer Tom Meighan. Instead, guitarist Serge Pizzorno took over the vocals.
Almost three years ago, Kasabian announced the “amicable separation” from their singer Tom Meighan. The reason for this was a physical attack by the musician against his fiancée. The justiciable result: a conviction for domestic violence to 18 months of community service. In 2022, Serge Pizzorno commented on the events in an interview: “The summer when Tom left was absolutely heartbreaking,” Pizzorno told the British newspaper “Guardian”. He continued: “It felt like leaving your home and coming back and seeing it burn down, walking around in the ashes, seeing old pictures and artifacts and picking things up and sifting through the destruction. It was an intense time.”
He was also always amazed at how upset the fans were about the band’s decision, despite not knowing anything about the actual events. “There’s a lot more to it than that. Who in their right mind would fire a frontman when there’s no reason?” Pizzorno said. There have been some difficult moments over the years – but he expressly did not want to go into detail.
Regarding Meighan’s solo career, he said, “If he’s happy with it, then that’s great.” The Briton hasn’t spoken to Meighan since a post-trial meeting. Kasabian bassist Chris Edwards has also been out of touch with Meighan for over a year: “Last time we spoke I was like, ‘Dude, if you need help, if you relapse, if you’re having problems with anything at home you can come and live with me.’ That’s how we said goodbye – with a hug and the declaration that we love each other. The separation was not malicious. It’s heartbreaking, but it happened,” Edwards said.
Meanwhile, Tom Meighan had married his fiancée Vikki Ager – despite the assault. Both the singer and his partner had consistently insisted the incident was no more than a drunken argument. “He apologizes every day. He really does. A lot of people have arguments and ours got to an extreme level,” Ager told CornwallLive in an interview.