Marilyn Manson

Brian Hugh Warner, known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician born on January 5, 1969. He is the lead singer and sole remaining original member of the rock band Marilyn Manson, which he co-founded in 1989. The group created its stage names by combining the names of female sex symbols and male criminals, specifically Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.

Warner was born in Canton, Ohio, to Barbara J. Wyer and Hugh Angus Warner. He attended Heritage Christian School through tenth grade and graduated from GlenOak High School in 1987. In 1990, he enrolled at Broward Community College to study journalism while writing for the music magazine 25th Parallel. Through his writing, he met Trent Reznor, who became his mentor.

In 1989, Warner formed Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with guitarist Scott Putesky. The band built a fanbase in South Florida through intentionally shocking live performances. After shortening their name to Marilyn Manson, they signed with Nothing Records and released their debut album, Portrait of an American Family, in 1994. The 1995 EP Smells Like Children, featuring a cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," established them as a mainstream act. They achieved further commercial success with 1996's Antichrist Superstar and its lead single "The Beautiful People."

The band followed with the glam rock-influenced Mechanical Animals in 1998, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Their 2000 album, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death), served as a response to media blaming Manson for inspiring the Columbine High School massacre. Subsequent studio releases included The Golden Age of Grotesque, Eat Me, Drink Me, The High End of Low, Born Villain, The Pale Emperor, Heaven Upside Down, and 2020's We Are Chaos.

Outside of recording, Manson made his film debut in David Lynch's Lost Highway in 1997 and held his first art show in 2002. His lyrics and stage presence drew controversy, leading to congressional hearings and venue bans in several U.S. states. In 2021, former partner Evan Rachel Wood and other women accused Manson of psychological and sexual abuse, which he denied. A four-year criminal investigation into the allegations concluded in 2025 without charges being filed.

Manson resumed touring in 2024 alongside Five Finger Death Punch while releasing new singles, including "As Sick as the Secrets Within," with European dates planned for 2025. Over his career, his band has sold over 50 million records worldwide, earned multiple gold and platinum certifications, placed eight albums in the Billboard 200 top ten, and received five Grammy Award nominations.