How Did Charles Manson Die? Inside the Cult Leader's Life in Prison — and How He Avoided Death Row Despite His Gruesome Crimes

Mar. 15, 2025

Charles Manson during his trial in an undated photo.Photo: AP

Charles Manson diedwhile serving nine life sentences in 2017 — nearly 50 years after masterminding the 1969 killings ofSharon Tateand eight others in Los Angeles.

The infamous criminal commanded his followers, who were known asthe Manson family, to commit aseries of horrific murdersthroughout the hills of L.A. in an effort to start a race war he called “Helter Skelter.”

Manson and his followers were eventually arrested and charged in the savage slayings in December 1969. The nation became both fascinated and sickened with the case during the nine-month trial that ensued, which resulted in Manson being sentenced to death in 1971 for conspiracy to commit the grisly murders.

While he was supposed to die at the hands of the state, California abolished the death penalty in 1972 — which resulted in his sentence being commuted to life in prison. Manson died at 83 in November 2017 after spending the majority of his life behind bars.

The viciousness of Manson’s crimesleft a lasting mark on American cultureand Manson himself achieved a perverse popularity — which has not dissipated in the years since his death. Now — more than seven years after his death — the Netflix documentaryChaos: The Manson Murdersexamines how Manson convinced his followers to commit such horrific crimes without remorse.

Here’s everything to know about Charles Manson’s death.

How did Charles Manson die?

Charles Manson leaves court after deferring a plea on the murder charges.Bettmann/Getty

Bettmann/Getty

Though theCalifornia Department of Correctionsstated that Manson died of natural causes, the notorious cult leader had reportedly been “seriously ill” in the months prior to his death, according to theLos Angeles Times.

In January 2017,Manson was hospitalizedfor gastrointestinal bleeding related to his colon and deemed too weak to undergo surgery, perThe New York Times. However, prison spokespeople declined to comment on his hospitalization and condition, citing privacy issues. A few days later, hereturned to Corcoran State Prisonin Bakersfield, Calif.

But 10 months later, in November 2017, Manson was back in the hospital, according to theL.A. Times. Though he was reportedly alive when he was admitted to the hospital, Manson was in grave condition, perTMZ. The mass murderer would never return to prison; he died two days after his hospitalization was first reported.

In December 2017,Manson’s death certificateshed more light on his health at the time of his passing. Manson had metastatic colon cancer, which ultimately led to respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

When did Charles Manson die?

Charles Manson arrives in court to enter a plea to seven counts of murder and one count of conspiracy.Bettmann/Getty

Manson died on Nov. 19, 2017, at 8:13 p.m. PT.

Where did Charles Manson die?

A photo taken of Charles Manson while in prison.SplashNews

Though Manson had spent the majority of his life in prison, he did not technically die behind bars. Instead, the infamous murderer died in a Kern County hospital north of L.A., per the California Department of Corrections.

Prison officials did not confirm the specific hospital where Manson died, but reporters spotted a prison department van parked outside of Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield the week before his death, according to theL.A. Times.

At the time of his death, Manson had been in Corcoran State Prison — a California prison located between San Francisco and Los Angeles — since 1989. He was serving nine life sentences and was known as a “nasty prisoner,” with dozens of infractions (including threatening prison staff, possession of a weapon and assault) on his prison record.

“He has had over 100 violations since he was incarcerated, which has been a very long time,” Kristina Khokhobashvili, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told PEOPLE in January 2017.

“Prison is my home,” he said in an interview (via theLA Times). “The only home I ever had.”

How old was Charles Manson when he died?

Charles Manson at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California, circa 1984.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Manson turned 83 years old one week before his death on Nov. 19, 2017.

Prior to his 2017 hospitalizations, his relatives reported that he had been in good health up until that point.

“I think at age 82, he’s in pretty good shape,” his grandsonJason Freemantold theL.A. Timesafter Manson’s January 2017 hospitalization. “For being 82 and locked up, he’s kept himself together well physically.”

Freeman did acknowledge, though, that Manson was advancing in age and, most likely, nearing the end of his life.

“Old age is setting in,” he added. “Nature is taking its course. There will be a day where he doesn’t wake up again.”

What were Charles Manson’s last words?

Charles Manson reads a statement at one of his parole hearings in San Quentin.Bettmann/Getty

While Manson’s final spoken words before his death are unknown, the cult killer participated in interviews with author and television producer James Buddy Day throughout the last year of his life.

Day, who went on to write the 2019 bookHippie Cult Leader: The Last Words of Charles Manson, is the last person known to interview Mansion at length,TIMEreported.

According to Day, Manson maintained his innocence in the1969 murders of nine individualsup until his death.

“I didn’t have nothing to do with killing those people,” Manson told Day in a phone call, according to TIME. “They knew I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

What was the public’s reaction to Charles Manson’s death?

Charles Manson in court.Bettmann/Getty

Charlotte Hood, a cousin of the Manson family’s first official victim, Gary Hinman, told PEOPLE thatit was “about time” Manson diedand that she and her family “believe in the death penalty.”

“I think the state kept him alive too damn long,” Hood said after news of Manson’s death broke, adding that she hoped he was “headed where there are a few people poking at him with pitchforks that are kind of hot.”

Anthony DiMaria, the nephew of Manson victim Jay Sebring, shared that Manson’s death brought no comfort or closure to the victims’ families.

“We derive no joy or comfort from the passing of Mr. Manson,” DiMaria told PEOPLE. “Nor is there closure because nothing will bring back Jay, or any of the victims sent to their graves 48 years ago. For us, our hearts and thoughts are with them.”

Sharon Tate’s sister Debra also spoke out in the wake of Manson’s death, telling PEOPLE that she “said a prayer for his soul.” Debra, who worked tirelessly to ensure Manson was never paroled while he was alive, also revealed that she believed God would take care of Manson’s spirit.

“I hope that he gets some kind of mercy,” Sharon said in her full statement following Manson’s death, according toABC. “He didn’t show that to any of our victims, but I try to come from a higher place and I hope he gets some mercy.”

What happened to Charles Manson’s body after he died?

Charles Manson.PA Images via Getty

PA Images via Getty

At one point, as many as three individuals — including Manson’s grandson, Jason Freeman; Manson’s son, Michael Brunner; and a prison pen pal of Manson’s, Michael Channel — were attempting to take possession of Manson’s body,CNNreported.

In March 2018, four months after Manson’s death,a judge ruled in favor of Freeman. Commissioner Alisa R. Knight, a court commissioner of Kern County, ultimately ruled that Freeman was “determined to be the surviving competent adult next of kind of the decedent,”Bakersfield.comreported. As a result, Freeman was responsible for Manson’s funeral and burial.

What shows and movies are based on Charles Manson?

Charles Manson.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Throughout his life, Manson and his heinous crimes spurred ideas formovies, television shows, books and music — and this remained true after he died.

The same year of his death in 2017, he was the subject of Netflix’sMindhunterand season 7 of FX’sAmerican Horror Story, aptly titledCult. The Manson murders also serve as the backdrop for Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 filmOnce Upon a Time … in Hollywood.

Acclaimed documentary director Errol Morris is the latest to tackle the topic of Manson and his murders with the Netflix documentaryChaos: The Manson Murders. The project, which premiered on March 7, questions the official accounts of the Manson family’s killing spree and examines newly revealed links between the CIA, LSD and Manson.

But while Manson and his crimes have been immortalized in the media, his victims’ families have worked tirelessly to ensure their lives are just as remembered.

“The people that we lostin this historical event were real, and they had lives and families,” she told PEOPLE in September 2014. “They’re sorely missed.”

source: people.com