Cult leader Charles Manson dies at 83
[Photo by: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation]
Cult leader Charles Manson is dead at the age of 83. According to The New York Times, Manson died of natural causes, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shared.
Manson was the leader of the Manson Family, a murderous cult connected of killing actress Sharon Tate, who was pregnant at the time, and six others in Los Angeles July and August 1969.
Debra Tate, Sharon Tate’s sister, says she received a call from the prison telling her Manson died at 8:13 p.m. Sunday, TMZ reports.
Manson had worked with Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson, who financed recording sessions with Manson and his brothers Brian and Carl, producing around 10 songs for a debut album, which was never released. However, the Beach Boys reworked Manson's “Cease To Exist” for their song “Never Learn To Love,” News.com.au have shared.
Manson has been in prison since he was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in April 1971, following a seven-month trial, the NYT shares, with the family becoming a dark part of American popular culture. Manson served nine life terms in California prisons and was denied parole 12 times, CNN reports.
Manson was originally sentenced to death, CNN report, but the death penalty was briefly abolished at the time in the state of California and he was sentenced to life in prison.
