Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American musician and artist known for his outrageous stage persona and image as the lead singer of the eponymous band. His stage name was formed from the names of actress Marilyn Monroe's first name and convicted murderer Charles Manson's last name.

Biography

Early life

Warner was born in Canton, Ohio, the son of Barb (née Wyer) and Hugh Warner. His father was a Catholic and his mother Episcopalian. According to his autobiography The Long Hard Road Out of Hell, Warner is of German and Polish ancestry on his father's side, and is of Jewish ancestry. He was raised in his mother's religion, attending Heritage Christian School, though he later transferred out, graduating from Cardinal Gibbons High School in 1987. In 1990, Warner was a college student attending Broward Community College. He was working toward a journalism degree, and gaining experience in the field by writing music articles for a South Florida lifestyle magazine, 25th Parallel when he met several of the musicians to whom his own band would later be compared, including My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.