Notorious serial killer Charles Manson believed to be close to death

Manson, who was serving a life term for orchestrating one of the most notorious crimes in US history, had been imprisoned for more than 45 years at California State Prison, Corcoran.

Charles Manson, the cult leader who sent followers known as the "Manson Family" out to commit gruesome murders, shattering the peace-and-love ethos of the 1960s hippie era in California, has been hospitalised in a serious condition.

Manson, 83, was in a Bakersfield, California hospital, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing Kern County Sheriff’s lieutenant Bill Smallwood.