Debra Tate has opened up about her meeting with Charles Manson, the cult leader responsible for the death of her sister, Sharon.
Next month will mark the 50th anniversary of Sharon Tate‘s murder, which rocked a generation. Debra Tate, her sister, has opened up about the horrific experience in a new interview with The Daily Mail. Tate described to reporters her meeting with Manson just a few short weeks after her sister’s death.
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Tate reportedly visited Manson in prison, surrounded by armed guards. She said that she hoped to find some semblance of understanding from meeting with Manson to help her process her grief.
“I sat opposite him across this little plastic table and stared into his eyes, and you know what I saw? Absolutely nothing,” she said. “There was no emotion in his eyes. They were dead. It reminded me of looking into a shark’s eyes. I go diving, so I know. You can’t tell if they are going to lunge at you and kill you. That’s what I saw in Charlie’s eyes then, and that’s what I still see in the eyes of his followers today.”
Sharon Tate was a beloved movie star at the time of her death, and the wife of director Roman Polanski. Her murder is considered one of the most monumental events of the 20th century, so it makes sense that it has featured heavily in the media. Tate also discussed this fixation, including the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in her new interview.
“Overnight, the light went out,” she said. “But the fascination remains because my sister’s murder was literally good versus evil. She was this beautiful person on the inside as well as the outside; a sweet, kind, loving girl.”
“Charles Manson and his followers were – and remain – psychopaths, sociopaths, whatever you want to call them. Pure darkness and evil. That’s why this story has endured for so long,” she went on.
Today, Debra Tate is battling cancer as her family tragedy resurfaces on the world stage. She admitted that it is difficult to relive, as she loved her sister.
“Sharon was my sun and my moon. Her death and the deaths of those who were slaughtered alongside her destroyed so many lives. It’s like a ripple on a pond. It spreads out, getting bigger and bigger,” she said.
However, she said that she is not shying away from a story that impacted American culture so much, especially as she sees the rise of new Manson admirers in some small online circles.
“It terrifies me that there are groups out there who revere this creep Manson as some god-like figure,” Tate said. “That repulses me.”
Tate has asked fans to sign an online petition to deny the members of the “Manson Family” any chance of parole.
Tate expanded on all of this in the prolonged interview, for which she noted she was not taking payment. She has reportedly met with Tarantino to discuss his respectful portrayal of her sister in his upcoming movie. One Upon a Time In Hollywood hits theaters on July 26.
