The sale of the COTC property was virtually the last public act by Klassen; for the last six months of 1992, he limited his contact with supporters to periodic letters announcing the abrupt dismissal or sudden elevation of a new member as “Pontifex Maximus.” On August 6, 1993, Klassen committed suicide by consuming four bottles of sleeping pills. His body (along with a hand-written suicide note) was discovered on August 8 by his daughter. The farewell letter justified his act by referring to chapter 59 of The White Man’s Bible, which describes suicide as “an honorable and dignified way to die for any…of a number of reasons, such as having come to the decision that life is no longer worthwhile.”
