Anton LaVey

Full name: Anton Szandor LaVey
Birth name: Howard Stanton Levey
Birth date: April 30, 1930
Birth place: Chicago, Illinois
Ancestry: French (father's side), Russian (mother's side)
Spouse/Life partners: Carole Lansing; Diane Hegarty, Blanche Barton
Children: Karla (b. 1952), Zeena (b. 1963), Satan Xerxes Carnacki (b. 1993)
Books: The Satanic Bible (1969), The Satanic Witch (1989), TheSatanic Rituals (1972), The Devil's Notebook (1992), Satan Speaks!(1998)
Death date: October 29, 1997
Death place: San Francisco, California 

Anton LeVay's father, Michael Joseph, was a native Nebraskan, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from France. His mother, Gertrude Augusta Coultron, was a native Ohioan, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Russia. While Anton was young, his parents moved the family to the San Francisco Bay Area. In his teen years, LaVey dropped out of high school to join the circus and had responsibilities with animals and music, both of which he enjoyed. LaVey met Carole Lansing when he was 20 years old and married her a year later. Lansing gave birth to their daughter Karla in 1952. The pair divorced in 1960.

LeVay soon entered into a relationship with Diane Hegarty who gave birth to their daughter Zeena in 1963. Also in the early 1960's, LaVey was the weekly speaker at a group called "The Magic Circle." At the encouragement of his students, on April 30, 1966, LaVey announced the establishment of The Church of Satan, inaugurating what he called, "The Age of Satan."

The media was infatuated with LaVey. His satanic weddings and baptisms received significant public attention. He was even a guest on television talk shows such as Phil Donahue and Johnny Carson. California newspapers called LaVey "The Black Pope."

In the 1990's, LaVey had a relationship with Blanche Barton, who gave birth to their son, Satan Xerxes Carnacki, in November 1993.

LaVey died from pulmonary adema on October 29, 1997 in San Francisco, California. A satanic funeral was held in Colona, a town in San Mateo County just outside San Francisco. His body was cremated and the remains were divided among family members.