10050 Cielo Drive — Tate Murders, Beverly Hills

On the night of 8-9 August 1969, members of Charles Manson's 'Family' murdered five people at the house at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Beverly Hills. The victims included actress Sharon Tate — eight months pregnant — and her guests Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and Voytek Frykowski, as well as Steven Parent, who had been visiting the caretaker. The murders were ordered by Manson and carried out by Family members Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, and Patricia Krenwinkel. The following night, Manson himself led further murders at the LaBianca residence in Los Feliz.

The Cielo Drive house had previously been rented by Terry Melcher — a prominent music producer and the son of Doris Day — and it has been suggested that Manson, who knew Melcher and had unsuccessfully sought his patronage as a musician, chose the location with Melcher's former occupancy in mind. The music industry connection runs through the Manson story in disturbing ways: Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys had housed Manson for an extended period, and Manson had interacted with numerous figures in the Los Angeles music world before the murders.

The original house at 10050 Cielo Drive was demolished in 1994 by a subsequent owner who wished to remove the association. A new house was built on the site, which has been renumbered as 10066 Cielo Drive. The property is private and is not accessible to the public. The area remains a significant if troubling location in the cultural history of Los Angeles — the moment when the mythology of 1960s liberation encountered its most extreme and violent contradiction.