Charles Manson

Charles Milles Manson spent more than half his life in correctional institutions before gathering followers on the fringe of the Los Angeles music scene. He was a singer-songwriter with an association to Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, who introduced him to producer Terry Melcher. In 1968, the Beach Boys recorded his song "Cease to Exist" as "Never Learn Not to Love," but left him uncredited. After failing to secure a record contract through Melcher, Manson turned to interpreting Beatles lyrics as prophecy, adopting "Helter Skelter" to describe an impending apocalyptic race war. In 1969, his followers carried out the Tate-LaBianca murders - nine dead around Los Angeles - which prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi argued were meant to ignite that race war, though Manson and others claimed they were copycat crimes to exonerate his friend Bobby Beausoleil. Manson denied ordering any murders, served his time in prison, and died from complications of colon cancer in 2017.