Steve Railsback and Gethin Anthony played him on TV, he drew inspiration from The Beatles, and The Beach Boys recorded one of his songs.
Charles Manson, the sinister ringleader behind the grisly 1969 killing spree that took the life of young actress Sharon Tate and six others, died Sunday, TMZ reported. He was 83.
Manson died at a Bakersfield hospital in California, Tate's sister Debra told TMZ after receiving a call from the prison where Manson was located. He had been serving multiple life sentences in Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., after being convicted in January 1971 of conspiracy to commit the murders.
Like his followers, or "family," Hollywood was attracted to Manson on several occasions. Perhaps the most notable onscreen portrayal of him was turned in by Steve Railsback in Helter Skelter, a CBS event telefilm directed by Tom Gries that aired over two nights in April 1976.
Based on the best-selling 1974 book co-written by Los Angeles County assistant district attorney and Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, it was a ratings sensation, attracting an estimated 50 million-plus viewers.
Before the murders, Manson aspired to a career in the L.A. music scene. After learning to play guitar in prison, he became friends with Byrds producer Terry Melcher (the son of actress Doris Day) and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys, and the fabled group covered one of his songs.
Manson even recorded 13 folksy songs for an album that eventually was titled Lie: The Love and Terror Cult; it was released independently in March 1970 to help pay for his defense during his murder trial.
READ MORE-
No comments:
Post a Comment