Marshall Applewhite wurde am 17 Mai 1931 in Spur, Texas, USA geboren. Er war mit Ann Frances Pearce verheiratet. Er starb am 26 März 1997 in Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA.
Many years before the mass suicide, the TV-movie Die unheimlichen Zwei (1982) was inspired by some of the beliefs and statements of the Heaven's Gate cult. The character portrayed by John Forsythe, named "He" in the film, was loosely based on Marshall Applewhite, who went by the name "Do" as the leader of Heaven's Gate.
