Sharon Tate’s Ex Fought Manson Family Killers During Heroic Final Moments

Jay Sebring didn’t just die in one of America’s most infamous massacres — he went down fighting, throwing himself at Charles Manson’s killers in a desperate bid to protect his friends.

On the night of August 9, 1969, the Hollywood hairstylist — famous for styling the likes of Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Jim Morrison — was at the Benedict Canyon home of his close friend Sharon Tate. Tate, eight and a half months pregnant, was spending the evening with coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Folger’s boyfriend Voytek Frykowski, and recent high school graduate Steven Parent. Hours later, all would be dead, slaughtered by Manson Family members in a murder spree meant to spark a race war.

Sebring’s nephew, Anthony DiMaria, says his uncle’s final moments have been overshadowed by the infamy of the crime. In reality, Sebring fought back with everything he had. “Jay courageously stood up to evil against all odds… He is an unknown hero in one of the most notorious murders in United States history,” DiMaria told Fox News Digital.

According to accounts from investigators and even the killers themselves, Sebring tried to reason with Tex Watson and Susan Atkins, pleading for Tate’s life. When Watson briefly turned his back, Sebring lunged, throwing a punch — but Watson shot him under the arm, the bullet tearing through his lung. Even gravely wounded, Sebring got back up and tried to fight again, forcing the attackers to focus on him and giving his friends precious seconds to flee.

Those few moments bought Abigail Folger and Voytek Frykowski a slim chance to escape, but the killers caught up with them. By then, Sebring had been shot, stabbed, and tortured. He died trying to shield Tate from the same fate.

In life, Sebring was more than a celebrity stylist — he was a trendsetter, a martial arts student under Bruce Lee, and a champion for his friends’ careers. He helped Lee land his role as Kato on The Green Hornet and created Jim Morrison’s iconic look at the singer’s request. In death, DiMaria says, he should be remembered not as just another victim, but as a man who refused to go quietly.

“Jay would encourage all of us to live life with the same passion and zeal that he did,” DiMaria said. “To go out, be your best, and make your mark.”