suffering a heart attack. He was aged 56.
Rick James performs onstage at the Holiday Star Theater on September 9, 1983. | Photo: Getty Images
Ten years after his demise, his memoir, "Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James" was published. The biography was sold on Amazon and gave a detailed narration of the musician's life. Several stories caught the attention of the public, but one stood out.
He revealed that he escaped being murdered by the Manson Family due to a hangover. James had joined the Navy reserve at a young age, and due to his numerous involvements, he skipped Reserve sessions.
Rick James performing at the Jamaican World Music Festival on November 27, 1982 | Photo: Getty Images
He was eventually sent to Vietnam, but he fled to Toronto, where he began associating with local bands. Soon after, he was involved in the pimping game, and the singer brought his girlfriend, Seville, into the business.
James described pimping as inhuman, and not long after, he moved back to Los Angeles with Jay Sebring, who offered to invest in his music. One night Sebring invited James and his girlfriend to a party held at Roman Polanski's house.
Seven deputies escort Charles Manson from the courtroom after he and three followers were found guilty of seven murders in the Tate-LaBianca slayings. | Photo: Getty Images
The party which Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate, organized would turn out to be a bloodbath. James and his girlfriend were absent from the party, as they were nursing a terrible hangover.
The next morning, James was informed that Tate, Sebring, and other guests were gruesomely murdered at the party by the Manson Family. Charles Manson, the leader of the Manson Family cult, was a criminal and one of the most infamous figures in criminal history.
Rick James (born James Johnson Jr, 1948 - 2004) performs onstage on September 9, 1983. | Photo: Getty Images
He had instructed four of his cult members to kill everyone at Polanski's house brutally. Reports had it that all in attendance at the party were stabbed to death.
Two years later, Charles Manson, alongside the perpetrators of the murder were arrested. Manson was sentenced to death, but a year later, his sentence was reduced to life in prison.
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