Jennifer Syme dated Keanu Reeves

He said: "After Jennifer was sent home safely with a designated driver, she later got behind the wheel of her own car for reasons known only to her."

The lawsuit alleges Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, gave Ms Syme drugs before she was dropped off at her home.

She got into her car, with the intent of returning to Manson's home, according to the lawsuit.

But her body was thrown from the car as she hit parked vehicles in a Hollywood boulevard.

Dedicated

Ms Syme had been suffering from depression and was receiving medication after her baby daughter was stillborn in late 1999.

She was a record executive and an actress who had a small part in David Lynch's movie Lost Highway.

The director dedicated his last film, the Oscar-nominated Mullholland Drive, to her memory.

Manson, a former music journalist, is one of the most controversial characters in music and his concerts are regularly picketed by religious and civil rights groups.

He is currently in the UK top 10 with his cover of the song Tainted Love.

The song, originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964, was made a hit by Soft Cell in 1981. Manson's version is at number nine this week.