Charles Manson Jr. was the first-born son of the notorious cult leader and murderer Charles Manson. He was born in 1956, when his father was married to a 15-year-old waitress named Rosalie Willis. However, their marriage did not last long, as Manson was soon arrested and imprisoned for various crimes. Willis divorced him and remarried a man named Jack White, who adopted Charles Manson Jr. and gave him a new name: Jay White.
But changing his name did not erase the stigma and trauma of being related to one of the most reviled men in history. Jay White struggled with his identity and his father’s legacy throughout his life, until he decided to end it all in 1993. Here is the full story of Charles Manson Jr. cause of death and how it was influenced by his father’s infamy.
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Growing Up as Charles Manson’s Son
Jay White had a difficult childhood, as he had to deal with the constant media attention and public scrutiny that came with being Charles Manson’s son. He also had to cope with the loss of his younger brother, Jed White, who died in an accidental shotgun blast when he was 11 years old. Jay White tried to distance himself from his father and his crimes, but he could not escape the shadow that loomed over him.
He had minimal contact with his father, who was serving a life sentence for orchestrating the brutal murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others in 1969. He also had little involvement with his own child, whom he fathered with an unidentified woman and was ordered to pay child support for in 1986. He apparently wanted to protect his child from the burden of his family history, which haunted him for years.
The Death of Jay White
On June 29, 1993, Jay White took his own life by shooting himself in the head in his car, near Burlington, Colorado. He was 37 years old. His reasons for committing suicide are unknown, but it is speculated that he suffered from depression and anxiety due to his father’s infamy. He may have also felt guilty or ashamed of his biological connection to Charles Manson, who was widely regarded as a monster and a madman.
Jay White’s death was a tragic end to a life that was marked by tragedy. He never found peace or happiness in his existence, and he could not bear the weight of his father’s sins. He was one of the many victims of Charles Manson’s evil influence, even though he never met him or followed him.
The Legacy of Charles Manson Jr.
Jay White was not the only child of Charles Manson who died prematurely. His younger half-brother, Jesse White, also died of a drug overdose in 1986. His youngest half-brother, Valentine Michael Manson, who was born to one of Manson’s followers in 1968, changed his name to Michael Brunner and lived a reclusive life away from the public eye. His only surviving half-sibling is Charles Luther Manson, who was born to another one of Manson’s followers in 1960 and has kept a low profile.
Charles Manson Jr. cause of death was a sad reminder of the lasting impact that Charles Manson had on his children and society at large. He left behind a legacy of violence, hatred, and madness that affected generations of people. He died of natural causes in prison in 2017, at the age of 83. But his son died by his own hand, at the age of 37. He could not escape his father, so he chose to end his life.
