What Happened to Synanon Founder Charles Dederich? All About the Cult Leader Who Died in 1997 [Video]

Synanon was the brainchild of Charles “Chuck” Dederich.

The infamous cult leader died in 1997, but the story of his reformative-turned-destructive drug rehabilitation organization is now the center of a four-part docuseries on HBO.

Titled The Synanon Fix: Did The Cure Become a Cult?, the series which premieres on April 1 analyzes how the organization’s potential to revolutionize healing spiraled into a catastrophic force. HBO’s retelling of the notorious group comes a few months after Paramount+ released Born In Synanon in December 2023.

Founded in 1958, Dederich formed Synanon as an alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous. It later became known as the “Church of Synanon” and attracted thousands of followers in the years following.

According to a 2018 Los Angeles Magazine examination of the cult, “Synanon did much to convince the American public that addicts could be saved” using methods like “tough love” therapy. However, Dederich’s grasp on the group and its followers later became manipulative and violent. 

Followers were forced to shave their heads and dress a …