Radar Online
Before her death at 96, Angela Lansburyturned her back on a brilliant Hollywood career to save her children from drugs, depravity, and cult leader Charles Manson.
“Angela's kids were on the verge of destruction,” a friend revealed. “So she sacrificed everything to rescue her family from a private hell no one really knows about.”
Following the iconic actress' passing on Tuesday, the true story behind Lansbury's Hollywood horror is being revealed. Though best known for TV's Murder, She Wrote, starting in the 1980s, Lansbury was already among the hottest leading ladies in showbiz, with best-supporting actress nods for Gaslight and The Picture of Dorian Gay.
Yet as her star soared, her son Anthony and daughter Deirdre descended into a nightmare.
“It started with cannabis but moved on to heroin,” Lansbury previously admitted about Anthony, who reportedly dabbled in drugs as early as age 12. By 1970, withered to 120 pounds, he suffered an overdose and fell into a coma.
Lansbury's daughter was in trouble too.
“At one stage, Deirdre was in with a crowd led by Charles Manson,” the actress admitted. “There were factions up in the hills above Malibu dedicated to deadly pursuits.”
So in 1970, Lansbury told her husband, late producer Peter Shaw, “We have to leave!”
Then, recalled the star, “We upped and moved to County Cork, Ireland.” Ironically, it was not the first time Lansbury was forced to flee in terror. As a teen, she left London during the Nazi blitz!
The simple life in the Irish countryside — as well as Lansbury and Peter's devotion — worked wonders.
“Anthony and Deirdre were weaned off hard drugs,” the actress revealed after the move. Anthony became a TV director who helmed 68 episodes of his mom's hit series. Deirdre grew up to be a successful model, painter, and restaurateur.
And although Lansbury refused work between 1971 and 1978 — even turning down the role of Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest — Hollywood welcomed her back with open arms.
She ruled the small screen as sleuth Jessica Fletcher for more than a decade and provided her voice to Disney's animated version of Beauty and the Beast, playing Mrs. Potts.
The Mary Poppins Returns star never regretted her exit from the scene for one second.
“I have no doubt we would have lost one or both of our two if they hadn't been removed to a completely different milieu,” she once said.
“People love Angela's acting. Now they know about all she gave up for her real-life role as a mom,” a pal stated.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Lansbury died peacefully in her sleep at her Los Angeles home just days before her 97th birthday. Her family confirmed the news.
“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,” their statement read.
