August 7, 1993: White Supremacist Leader Commits Suicide

Ben Klassen, the 75-year-old founder and leader of the Church of the Creator (COTC—see 1973 and Early 1992 - January 1993), commits suicide by swallowing four bottles of sleeping pills. He leaves a smoldering pile of shredded documents and a note describing suicide as an “honorable” way to die. [Anti-Defamation League, 7/6/1999; Southern Poverty Law Center, 9/1999]