Charles Manson Is Dead At 83

Update (20 November 2017): Charles Manson has died at the age of 83, after four decades in prison, of "natural causes", the BBC reports.

Update (16 November 2017): Charles Manson is in hospital for the second time this year, reported the LA Times. According to sources close to TMZ, his health is deteriorating and "it's just a matter of time" before he dies.

Original story: The convicted mass murderer and former cult leader Charles Manson is in hospital after being taken "seriously ill", according to reports.

The 82-year-old was taken from California State Prison in Corcoran, where he was being held, to a hospital in Bakersfield, California, about an hour away, reported TMZ.

He was rushed to the emergency room for gastrointestinal issues, a source told the gossip website. A source told the Los Angeles Times his condition was "serious".

However, prison officials have declined to confirm whether or not Manson has been hospitalised, due to inmate security procedure. They did confirm that he was alive.

The prison reportedly has medical facilities to treat inmates who need urgent or emergency care as well as in-patient hospital stays, but usually transports them elsewhere if they need surgery.

Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for the federal receiver who controls prison medical care, said: "In general, inmates are sent to outside hospitals if they need surgical services, emergency care, or diagnostic services of an acute nature." She added: "These services are not provided in state prison facilities," reported The Independent.

In the 1960s Manson founded a murderous quasi-commune that became known as the "Manson Family".

In 1969 the group of mostly young, female runaways and outcasts was responsible for the murder of seven people. Prosecutors said it was part of a plan to incite hatred against African Americans and start a race war.

The killings included the stabbing of Sharon Tate, the Hollywood actor and heavily pregnant wife of director Roman Polanski.

Manson was convicted for the murders of seven people, along with four of his “Manson Family” followers, and was sentenced to death. However, he wasn't executed because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1972 which temporarily banned the death penalty.

Tate's sister Debra Tate, a Catholic, told The Associated Press that she has “no ill wishes” for her sister's killers, and won't allow herself to feel anything until she knows Manson has died.

“I would probably say a prayer for them and shed a tear and ask God to have mercy on their souls, but so far I haven't allowed myself to feel anything because it's unsubstantiated,” said Tate. “I'm not allowing myself to feel anything until I know that it's true.”

Manson, who didn't personally commit the murders but ordered his followers to carry them out, isn't eligible to apply for parole again until 2027.

In 2014 he was granted permission to marry Afton Elaine Burton, who is 53 years his junior, but the ceremony never happened.