Who was Anton LaVey? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Anton Szandor LaVey, Howard Stanton Levey

Died At Age: 67

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Blanche Barton, Diane Hegarty

father: Michael Joseph Levey

children: Karla LaVey, Satan Xerxes Carnacki LaVey, Zeena Schreck

American Men

Died on: October 29, 1997

place of death: San Francisco, California, United States

City: Chicago, Illinois

Cause of Death: Pulmonary Edema

Notable Alumni: Tamalpais High School

Ancestry: Ukrainian American

U.S. State: Illinois

Founder/Co-Founder: Church of Satan

More Facts

education: Tamalpais High School

Recommended For You

1

What are some key beliefs of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan?

The Church of Satan, founded by Anton LaVey, promotes individualism, self-indulgence, and the pursuit of personal desires.
2

How did Anton LaVey gain recognition for his work in occultism?

Anton LaVey gained recognition for his work in occultism by founding the Church of Satan in 1966 and authoring "The Satanic Bible," which became a controversial bestseller.
3

What influence did Anton LaVey have on modern Satanism?

Anton LaVey is considered a key figure in shaping modern Satanism by promoting the philosophy of LaVeyan Satanism, which emphasizes self-empowerment and skepticism.
4

What rituals and practices are associated with Anton LaVey's Church of Satan?

The Church of Satan practices rituals such as the "Satanic Mass" and encourages members to engage in "magic" as a form of self-improvement and psychological empowerment.
5

How did Anton LaVey's teachings challenge traditional religious norms?

Anton LaVey's teachings challenged traditional religious norms by rejecting the concepts of sin, guilt, and submission to higher powers, instead advocating for individual responsibility and self-gratification.

Childhood & Early Life

Anton LaVey was born as Howard Stanton Levey on April 11, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to liquor salesman Michael Joseph Levey and Gertrude Augusta Coultron. His Russian-born maternal grandparents, who had immigrated to Ohio in 1893, became naturalized American citizens in 1900.

As a child, he was interested in learning various musical instruments including the pipe organ and the calliope, a passion that his parents fully supported. He spent his childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, and attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley until he left school at the age of 16 to join circus.

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Early Career

According to Anton LaVey, during his time in the circus, and later in carnivals, he worked as a roustabout and cage-boy in an act with the big cats, and as a musician playing the calliope. He also claimed that he developed a cynical view of religion after witnessing church-goers attending bawdy Saturday night shows; however, journalist Lawrence Wright's investigations found no evidence of him ever working in a circus.

For a time, he used his musical skills to find jobs as an organist in bars, lounges and nightclubs, which reportedly led to a brief affair with Marilyn Monroe before she became an actress. However, his partner Hegarty later admitted to have forged the 'Monroe' inscription that he had used as evidence.

He claimed to have worked with the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) as a photographer for three years, during which time he also looked into 800 calls as a psychic investigator. However, later biographers refute this claim as well as they found no evidence suggesting he ever worked with SFPD at all.

Nevertheless, he had attracted the attention of several notable local personalities thanks to his paranormal research and live musical performances. Regular guests at his parties included Michael Harner, Chester A. Arthur III, Forrest J Ackerman, Fritz Leiber and Kenneth Anger, and he was friends with weird-fiction writers Robert Barbour Johnson and Clark Ashton Smith.

Church of Satan

Anton LaVey formed a group called the 'Order of the Trapezoid' during the 1950s and began performing weekly satanic rituals with followers at his residence, the 'Black House', in San Francisco, California. The group evolved into the governing body of the Church of Satan after it was co-founded by LaVey and his longtime partner Diane Hegarty on April 30, 1966.

He publicly declared the year 1966 as "the Year One" or 'Anno Satanas' – the first year of the 'Age of Satan'. The first publicized ritual performed by him was the Satanic wedding ceremony of socialite Judith Case and journalist John Raymond on February 1st, 1967, following which he was dubbed 'The Black Pope' by the media.

Soon after, he performed the first Satanic baptism in history for his three-year-old younger daughter Zeena, whom he dedicated to Satan and the Left-Hand Path. Other publicly recorded Satanic rituals included the funeral of naval machinist-repairman Edward Olsen, during which a chrome-helmeted honor guard escorted his casket.

In 1968, he released the vinyl LP, 'The Satanic Mass', containing the audio recording of the baptism of his daughter Zeena on side one, from his own label, Murgenstrumm. The other side of the record contained his recital of the then-unpublished book, 'The Satanic Bible', with background music from Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner and John Philip Sousa.

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He next established a number of branches of the Church, known as grottos, including the Babylon Grotto in Detroit, the Stygian Grotto in Dayton, and the Lilith Grotto in New York City. Throughout the decade, the new religion was covered in several books, magazines and newspaper articles, as well as the 1970 documentary 'Satanis', which attracted celebrity members like Sammy Davis Junior and Jayne Mansfield to his church.

In 1969, he played 'His Satanic Majesty' in the 11-minute Kenneth Anger film, 'Invocation of My Demon Brother'. The same year, he published 'The Satanic Bible', a collection of essays, observations, and rituals which is considered the central religious text of LaVeyan Satanism.

As several of the regional church heads resigned to form their own brotherhoods in the early 1970s, he demolished the Grottos to centralize control. He later introduced a donation system which further caused a mass desertion, with members joining the Temple of Set, established by Michael Aquino in 1975.

In the 1980s, media reports of criminal conspiracies within the Church of Satan caused 'Satanic Panic'. Throughout the decade, his daughter Zeena made numerous media appearances on his behalf to refute allegations of criminal activity.

Major Works

Anton LaVey's single most notable work is establishing the Church of Satan which represented "the first public, highly visible, and long-lasting organisation which propounded a coherent Satanic discourse".

Personal Life & Legacy

Anton LaVey began dating Carole Lansing soon after they met in 1950, and eventually got married the next year. Their daughter, Karla LaVey, born in 1952, was a founding member and High Priestess of the Church of Satan and founded the First Satanic Church in San Francisco in 1999.

He divorced Lansing in 1960 after getting involved with Diane Hegarty, with whom he had his second daughter, Zeena Schreck, who became estranged from him in the 1990s. LaVey and Hegarty remained together for 25 years, but never got married; however, she sued for palimony after their separation.

He met Blanche Barton after Hegarty left the Black House, following which they began a relationship. She gave birth to their son, Satan Xerxes Carnacki LaVey, on November 1, 1993.

His daughter, Zeena, resigned as High Priestess of the Church of Satan and renounced LaVeyan Satanism in 1990 after she realized that "most of her father's self-created legend was based on lies". She even claimed that LaVey had endangered her life out of jealousy and spite.

LaVey died of pulmonary edema on October 29, 1997, in St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco. His body was cremated in Colma following a secret invitation-only Satanic funeral.

Facts About Anton LaVey

Anton LaVey was an accomplished musician and could play multiple instruments, including the organ, piano, and calliope. He even released an album of satanic music called "The Satanic Mass."

LaVey was known for his love of animals and had a pet lion named Togare. He also had pet cheetahs and a pet black panther, showing his affinity for exotic creatures.

LaVey was a skilled showman and performer, often incorporating elements of theatrics and drama into his rituals and public appearances. He understood the power of spectacle and used it to captivate audiences.

LaVey had a keen interest in psychology and was known to incorporate psychological principles into his teachings and practices within the Church of Satan. He believed in the importance of understanding human behavior and motivations.

LaVey had a unique sense of style and was often seen wearing elaborate costumes and accessories that reflected his eccentric personality. He was a larger-than-life figure who embraced his role as the High Priest of the Church of Satan with flair and panache.

Anton LaVey Biography

You wanted to know

What are some key beliefs of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan?

How did Anton LaVey gain recognition for his work in occultism?

What influence did Anton LaVey have on modern Satanism?

What rituals and practices are associated with Anton LaVey's Church of Satan?

How did Anton LaVey's teachings challenge traditional religious norms?