Relatives said LaVey died of pulmonary edema on Oct. 29 at St. Mary's Hospital.

``Mysteriously, the death certificate states that LaVey died on Halloween morning October 31,'' said family
spokesman Lee Houskeeper.

LaVey was cremated on Tuesday after a Satanic funeral at Woodlawn Memorial Chapel in Colma.

Security concerns led his daughter, Church of Satan High Priestess Karla LaVey, to demand ``absolute secrecy
from all who knew of LaVey's death and Satanic funeral,'' Houskeeper said.

LaVey had a varied career before founding his church. He had been a circus lion tamer, an organist, photographer
and psychic investigator.

He first gained notoriety in 1967 when he performed his first Satanic wedding. He went on to write a Satanic Bible
and four other books. He also acted as a consultant on several movies.

His final book, Satan Speaks, is scheduled for release in the spring of 1998.

There are over a million copies of his books and each has been translated into nearly every major language,
according to Houskeeper.

LaVey, dubbed ``The Black Pope'' by some, leaves his daughter and longtime companion Blanche Barton and a
4-year-old son, Xerxes LaVey."