KallMeKris

But despite the many fans of his voice throughout the years, there were those who didn't believe in him, saying his voice was quote unquote, not of national caliber.

And this was an opportunity for him to prove them wrong.

But unfortunately, amidst his difficult personal life, the part ended up being too much for him and he withdrew.

And the combination of these many internal issues would push Marshall into several periods of depression.

And colleagues began to notice that he became increasingly erratic and withdrawn on campus in the late 1960s.

And come March of 1970, Marshall suddenly resigned from his position at St.

Thomas, allegedly citing, quote unquote, emotional turmoil and depression as the reason.

And Robert Balch and David Taylor, who were sociologists that later studied Heaven's Gate, theorized that this resignation was actually due to another potential affair with a male student.

And some sources claim that he didn't resign, but was actually let go because of this supposed affair.

It's not totally clear, so I just want to put that out there.

But regardless of the reason, Marshall gave up his academic career.

And now he had no job, no family support, and to top it off, his father died around this time as well.

Just compounding the pain and unresolved emotions he dealt with.

So he up and left Houston and wound up in New Mexico where he opened a deli in 1971 attempting to be a simple businessman.

And once again, he thrived in an opportunity to connect and interact with people, the same old lovable Marshall.

But his mental state continued to decline and he abandoned his deli to return empty-handed to Texas in late 1971.

Another failure.

And he amounted several debts and borrowed money from old friends, and Marshall's life was not looking good at this point, tell you what.

Because he was alone and wrestling with spiritual issues, ridden with guilt and his sexuality, and just crumbling from the weight of his depression.

But this troublesome part of his journey would soon have an unlikely encounter, one that would lead to radical change.