Anton LaVey

Journalists, researchers and his daughter Zeena Schreck disputed well-known elements of LaVey's biography, particularly some stories about circus work, police photography and his accounts of relationships with celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following changes in the Church of Satan's organisation and rank-awarding system, Michael Aquino and several members left and founded the Temple of Set. Aquino accused LaVey, in particular, of turning ranks into rewards linked to material contributions.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The first section of The Satanic Bible reproduces and reworks extensive passages from Might Is Right, attributed to Ragnar Redbeard/Arthur Desmond, while other sections draw on Enochian keys transmitted through the occult tradition. These borrowings have prompted accusations of plagiarism for decades.

State of the evidence

Disputed

Attribution

Directly implicated

Anton LaVey founded the Church of Satan in 1966 and organised highly publicised rituals, including a Satanist wedding in 1967. This spectacular strategy helped make him a major figure in the cultural panic surrounding Satanism in the United States.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

LaVey kept an approximately 500-pound lion named Togare at his San Francisco home. Neighbours' complaints and damage caused by the animal fuelled a local controversy before it was transferred to a zoo.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

LaVey claimed to have cursed Sam Brody, Jayne Mansfield's partner, before the car accident that killed Mansfield and Brody in 1967. The story became one of the most famous myths associated with his occult reputation.

Attribution

Personally implicated