Among the cult's following, Marshall was known as "Do." Following the discovery of the Hale-Bopp comet in July of 1995, Marshall told the Heaven's Gate members that it was a signal from aliens.

Change came with near-death experience in 1972 From Correspondent John Holliman (CNN) -- The young life of Marshall Herff ...

It’s impossible to pinpoint when a mind first veers from eccentricity into madness, but Marshall Applewhite may have hit that fork in 1969 when Neil Armstrong took humankind’s first step on ...

In the early 1970s, Applewhite met Bonnie Nettles, who would go on to found Heaven's Gate with him. She fostered his belief that he was a prophet with a divine mission.

Marshall Applewhite, the cult’s co-founder and leader, was a music instructor at UA in the early 1960s, about 12 years before he founded Heaven’s Gate with a co-believer, Bonnie Nettles.

Marshall Applewhite Jr., right, leads a rehearsal of the Festival Chorus shortly before its initial concert appearance on Nov 21, 1969, at Jones Hall in Houston.

Season 2 Episode 4 Preview: In 1975 in Oregon, Marshall Applewhite held an early meeting drumming up interest in his Heaven's Gate cult. One man who was mildly interested said he was convinced ...

Heaven’s Gate leader Marshall Applewhite’s heart disease may have hastened his death after he took a lethal mix of drugs and alcohol, according to an autopsy. Results confirm the charismatic ...

Marshall Herff Applewhite Jr. was an American cult leader who founded what became known as the Heaven's Gate religious group and organized their mass suicide in 1997, claiming the lives of 39 people.

April 16 2018, Published 4:42 p.m. ET Texas music-teacher-turned-cult-leader Marshall Applewhite, became known for leading the biggest mass suicide in American history in 1985.