Karla LaVey

Karla Maritza LaVey (born 1952) is an American radio host, former High Priestess of the Church of Satan and founder and administrator of the First Satanic Church in San Francisco, California. Karla has been featured on television, radio, in news and magazine articles including Fox News. She has lectured on the subject of Satanism around the world. She can be seen in the films Satanis: The Devil's Mass, Witchcraft 70, and Speak of the Devil. She is the eldest daughter of Anton LaVey.

Karla was born to Carole Lansing and Anton LaVey. She has two half siblings, Zeena Schreck and Satan Xerxes Carnacki LaVey. She founded the First Satanic Church headquartered in San Francisco in 1999. She was a founding member of her father's Church of Satan, and acted as a public representative for both the church and her father for the better part of four decades. In the 1970s, she was very close friends with Alice Cooper, whom she would later introduce to her father.

In 1979, Karla was dispatched to Amsterdam to oversee the International Church of Satan headquarters which acted as a liaison to its members overseas. During this time, Karla was given the title High Priestess of the Church of Satan, which she would occasionally use in interviews with print media and her lecture tours. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Karla made numerous appearances on television combating the Satanic Panic that seemed so prevalent for that time. Some of her appearances included the Joan Rivers Show, Ron Reagan Show, 20/20, and 60 Minutes.

On October 29, 1997, Anton LaVey, Karla’s father, died of pulmonary edema. On November 7, 1997, Karla held a press conference to announce Anton's death. It was at this time that Blanche Barton and Karla LaVey announced that they would run the Church of Satan as co-High Priestesses. Several days later, Barton produced a hand written will claiming that LaVey had left all of his belongings, property, writings, and royalties, including the Church of Satan, to be put in a trust managed by Barton. Karla contested this will, which was later found to be invalid. A settlement was later reached in which Anton’s belongings, writings, and royalties would be split among his three children and that Barton would receive the “corporation known as Church of Satan.” Karla then decided to continue on with her father's work by organizing the First Satanic Church and running it out of San Francisco, just as her father had. The Church of Satan, under the leadership of Blanche Barton, was later moved to New York City.

Currently, Karla LaVey promotes and sponsors live Satanic events, shows and concerts. She also hosts a weekly radio show in San Francisco.